Chapter Four
Qrow was pacing Theodore's office. "She should have reported in by now. She was supposed to check on Tai, and then come back. Should've taken no more than an hour."
"She's only been gone a few hours, Qrow. We don't know the situation in Patch. There's a chance that she ended up in a fight, or helping out somewhere." Theodore sat reclined behind his desk, cigar clamped in his lips.
"Yeah, and there's a chance she scarpered. It's her MO. She found out Yang was alive, got her back to us, then just ran again."
"She swore an oath to us Qrow. I'm inclined to trust her."
"Wouldn't be the first time she's broken an oath. Theo, I've got a bad feeling about this. We gave her a lot of information last night. I wouldn't be surprised if she just used us."
"Idle speculation does us no good, Qrow. Quit pacing, you're going to wear a hole into my rug."
Qrow flung himself into a chair and began to finger the clover talisman pinned to his chest. He exhaled noisily. "There are some days I reeaally miss drinking." He took a swig from his water flask anyway.
At that moment, a red portal opened in the middle of the room. "Speak of the devil and she doth appear." Qrow had stood up again.
Raven stepped through, sheathing her sword. Her hair was plastered to her forehead with sweat. Qrow planted himself in front of her, accusing finger pointed at her chest. "The hell took you so long? That was supposed to be an in and out, establishing communications for later."
"Qrow, will you stop being dramatic? I said I would help, and I'm helping. There's a complication," she said to Theodore.
"Oh?" Was the headmasters only response.
"What does that mean?" Qrow asked, pacing again.
Raven shot him a withering look. "Grimm. I think Salem made her move against Vale. Patch just saw a refugee influx, and with it came the grimm. Tai and the other teachers from Signal are in the middle of a pitched fight at this very moment. Is Yang still at the Academy?"
"She's probably in the city somewhere with her team. Why?" Qrow asked truculently.
"Because if I take both of you with me, and believe me, Tai will be glad of the help, I'll need her somewhere safe we can port back to. I don't want to show up in the middle of the city."
"Of course. I can recall her at once." Theodore tapped something into his console, and then moved beside the twins with a predatory grin. He shadow boxed the air, ruby gloves glinting in the light. "It'll be good to stretch out this old frame. Desk life doesn't suit me. After you, Miss Branwen."
Raven slashed at the air, and after a moment's hesitation Qrow walked through, followed shortly by Theodore and his sister.
"Huh. Theodore wants us back at Shade. Didn't say why, but we're on standby." Yang had several cloth bags hung from one arm as she checked her scroll with her free hand.
"I'll message Weiss and Jaune," Ruby said at once, pulling out her own scroll.
Blake sighed. "Well, the day was nice while it lasted."
"Wait, Theodore wants you guys back at Shade but not us? What's up with that?" Nora sidled over, munching conspicuously on something.
"I dunno, but at least we got some shopping done." One of the first things Yang had looked for was a new pair of sunglasses, which she had already donned. All of them had prioritized gear that would benefit them in the harsh desert climate of Vacuo. Ren said it was possible to be sent outside the Kingdom on missions, but most missions took place within Vacuo unless you specifically requested a different assignment.
"Nora, what are you eating?" Ruby looked up from her scroll and wrinkled her nose at the shriveled, pinkish meat Nora was munching on.
"Mole crab jerky! Sweet and spicy variety. Mole crab is a local delicacy. Wanna try some?" Nora waved a piece in front of Ruby's face.
"Uhm, no thanks," Ruby shook her head.
"Yoink!" Yang reached over and snatched the proffered piece of jerky from Nora and bit into it. "Hey, this is pretty good!"
"Told you! But you only get one, blondie. You'll have to buy your own bag if you want more."
"Nora, can I try a piece?" Blake asked innocently.
"Oh, sure." Nora handed her a piece of the cured meat, which Blake promptly gave to Yang.
"Thanks, babe!" Yang popped it into her mouth and winked at Nora.
Nora gasped dramatically. "Blake! You dare betray my trust? I thought we were friends! Hmph."
Ren, Oscar, and Ruby all laughed, and even Emerald cracked a smile. Ruby asked, "Are you all going to come back with us?"
Ren shrugged. "We may as well. Wouldn't hurt to get a little training in. We should start getting Emerald familiarized with our strategies."
"How do you think Weiss is faring with her family and Jaune?" Yang mused, still chewing on the jerky.
"Yeah, why'd she invite him anyway? I mean, I know we've all met her family before, but I didn't think that Jaune had made any special connections with them," Ruby asked, puzzled.
Yang and Nora shared a look. "It's because Weiss likes him, Rubes. She's just, y'know, about as awkward as you when it comes to that sort of thing," Yang said.
"Yeah, Jaune liked her straight off, remember? But she shot him down, multiple times, and then there was him and Pyrrha..." Nora trailed off, eyes clouding over briefly. Emerald shifted uncomfortably at the mention of Pyrrha.
Nora continued. "Weiss probably thinks he doesn't like her, and Jaune is oblivious enough to not see that the tables have turned and Weiss would reciprocate if he asked her again."
Ruby had flushed slightly at Yang's dig but didn't say anything. Weiss had seemed more interested in Jaune than normal in the Ever After, but Ruby hadn't really paid it much attention. And Yang was right, she found the idea of opening up to someone in a romantic fashion terrifying. She was awkward enough as it was with people, and then putting extra emotions on the line was a recipe for disaster. Still, she felt an unexpected pang of loneliness at the idea that she would be the only member out of the original teams without a significant other.
She realized she was being watched and gave a weak smile. "Oh, yeah, haha, hopefully it works out for them." She trailed off, smile fading. Why does this make me feel sad? I should be happy. It was the same when Yang and Blake got together. What's wrong with me?
Yang noticed Ruby's downcast expression but didn't push it any further. She would talk to her later, when they could have some privacy. She looked around when Nora called out.
"Emerald, what's up?"
Emerald had stopped walking several paces back, one arm across her chest, hand resting on the opposite bicep, in a posture that spoke of shame. "How can you all just, accept me? Cinder is the reason one of your friends is dead, and you still let me in. Why?"
The group stopped walking, and looks were exchanged. "Well, you're not Cinder, for a start," Ruby said quietly. "You made a choice to follow her, but you also made a choice to leave her and join us. People grow and change all the time, and we need to be ready to help them when it happens."
"We all miss Pyrrha, Emerald. I know you regret what happened. I know you're still conflicted about Cinder. However, we're here for you now. You can talk to us anytime," Ren said gently.
Oscar walked over to her. "Ren is right. You chose to help me in Monstra. You could have just as easily killed me. But you didn't. You even stuck with us and continued to help during and after the fall, and accepted Theodore's decision when he wanted to keep you under observation. Emerald, you chose and have been choosing to side with us. If we didn't give you a chance, how could we call ourselves hunters? If we can't forgive people who are truly remorseful, we just invite further discord."
Emerald didn't look convinced. "I've caused so much pain, though. I told myself it didn't matter, because Cinder had saved my life, so whatever she needed from me was worth it. I could dismiss what we were doing as trivial because Cinder was convinced it would make things better. But I was wrong. She just caused more pain, and sorrow. I'm sorry for what we did."
"And that's why we're giving you a chance. Don't get me wrong, I'm keeping an eye on you. And we're gonna have to have a conversation about your old friend, but now isn't the time." Yang had crossed arms and narrowed eyes. "Jaune is really the one who should be going over this with you."
Emerald gave a small nod. "Right. Thanks."
"C'mon, let's get back and see what the headmaster wants." Ruby smiled at her encouragingly, and the group set off once more.
"All I'm saying is they could have warned us that the curry in red bowl was spicy. I mean, c'mon, look at me. You think I have a high spice tolerance?" Jaune was animatedly waving his arms, eyes still running from his earlier ordeal.
Weiss laughed. "Vacuo is known for its spicy cuisine. I thought you knew that. You could have stopped eating it once you figured it out, but you had to be a gentleman."
"I didn't want to be rude! And besides, it was good, even if it felt like my mouth was on fire."
Jaune and Weiss were on their way back to the academy, having received a message from Ruby that Weiss was needed with her team on standby. Winter had stayed behind, taking advantage of her free time. Jaune felt like he had a ball of liquid fire resting somewhere just below his ribcage. The Sahras had served curry for lunch, in two varieties, and Jaune had served himself from the nearest bowl without thinking about it. It turned out that the Sahras liked their hot peppers, much to Jaune's discomfort and the amusement of the Schnees, who had served themselves from bowl that wasn't spicy.
"Ugh. I'll need to see if anyone has any good heartburn remedies. So much for good first impressions." Jaune was rubbing his sternum and staring at the ground as they walked.
"Believe me, you had made an impression on all of them before today. Winter was the one who gave me the courage to invite you to see everyone." Weiss had taken his free hand and was looking up at him lovingly.
"Winter did?" Jaune was more than a little surprised. Winter intimidated him a little bit. She was a high-ranking military officer, a superb warrior, and the obvious inspiration for Weiss's ice queen demeanor.
"She did. Her words were, and I am not exaggerating for effect here: 'There's no shame in liking a man like that. He's got my approval.'"
Jaune blinked. "Oh. I had the impression that she was evaluating me, but I didn't know it was about us. It felt more like someone sizing up an opponent, or acquiring a target lock."
"You're sweet, you know that? You're so good at reading tactical situations, but you have a lot of work to do reading people." Weiss had stopped walking and reached a hand up to him. When he looked at her, she stood on tiptoes and pulled his face towards hers for a quick kiss.
"Oh! Your lips are still hot! I do not know how you ate all that curry." Weiss had pulled back, fanning her mouth.
"Ha! 'Hot lips!' Jaune's new nickname, calling it now!" Nora and the others had just turned onto the street down at the corner.
Weiss turned scarlet. "Oh please no, Nora, I didn't know you were there."
Yang cleared her throat. Nora sighed, and handed something to her. Seeing the expressions from Jaune and Weiss, she explained. "We made a bet. I thought that you two would be together by the end of the day. Nora thought you were gonna take a little longer. And now, Nora's mole crab jerky is mine!"
"You made a bet about us!?" Weiss shouted.
"Mole crab jerky?" Jaune asked, carefully enunciating each word.
"Yeah, that's been the topic of conversation for the last ten minutes or so. I'm glad to see you two worked it out, though," Blake said, smiling at them.
"Yes, mole crab jerky, Jaune. The tastiest thing I've eaten since getting to Vacuo. You couldn't have just stayed blissfully ignorant for like, twelve more hours?" Nora asked, in tones of mock despair.
Yang, who was already munching on the jerky, said, "I knew you guys would figure it out. Kudos!"
"It's rude to make bets about people's personal lives! I can't believe you two!" Weiss, still shouting, said.
"It is Nora and Yang we're talking about here. I'd be more surprised if they hadn't made a bet of some sort." Jaune shrugged.
"Jaune, you're supposed to stand up for me!" Weiss stamped her foot and crossed her arms.
"Oh, right. Nora, Yang, that was immature and insensitive," Jaune intoned.
"Oh, shut it, Hot Lips," Yang laughed while Nora high fived her.
Jaune sighed. "And that's why I didn't say anything."
Blake spoke up in their defense. "Leave them alone. We're all glad to see you guys happy. You both deserve it."
Weiss looked at her appreciatively. "Thank you, Blake. Now, if these jokers will quiet down for a minute, what does the headmaster need from us?"
"He didn't say. We were just to return to Shade and wait on standby." Ruby had a faraway look in her eyes that Weiss now associated with trouble. Something was bothering her old friend.
"I'm sure it's ok, Ruby." Weiss gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.
"Hmm? Oh, yeah." Ruby still looked distant.
I hope she's not spiraling again. I need to make sure we're keeping an eye on her, Weiss thought. She caught Yang's eye, and Yang gave a small shrug.
Yang threw her arm around Ruby's shoulders. "Well, whatever it is, we'll face it as a team."
"Qrow and Theodore are both gone?" Ruby asked. The teams had dropped off their shopping haul in their rooms, JORNE headed for the training hall, and then RWBY had gone looking for Qrow. They hadn't been able to find him anywhere, and Theodore's office was closed. This development worried Ruby more than she thought it would.
"Looks like it. Don't stress, Ruby. They're both highly trained huntsmen. I'm sure whatever they're up to they're fine. Let's head back to our rooms, ok?" Blake said.
"Ok, yeah." Ruby sounded unsure.
Yang looked at Blake and Weiss. "You two mind if I talk to my sister for a minute?"
"Of course not, we'll see you at the dorms." Blake and Weiss departed, leaving the sisters alone.
"You ok, Ruby? You've been a bit off since we brought up Jaune and Weiss." They had stopped by a window and Yang leaned against the sill, looking out over the sun-soaked city.
"Yang, can I ask you something?" Ruby's voice was small.
"Yeah, of course. Ask away."
"Is it wrong to be worried about people starting new relationships right now?"
This took Yang aback a little. "You don't approve?"
"It's not that I don't approve, I don't know, it just feels like we should have bigger things to worry about, you know? Big picture, Salem wants to destroy the world. Shouldn't we worry more about that than relationships?"
Yang considered this for a moment. "Nope. Ruby, relationships are how we're going to win this. It's our humanity, our bonds with each other, that give us strength. We need to be united, right? Love is a great way to achieve that. I think people finding it in the face of disaster is a beautiful juxtaposition. If we can't love now, what are we even fighting for?"
"'Beautiful juxtaposition?' What'd you do to Yang?" Despite herself, Ruby grinned.
"I may have started to read some of Blake's poetry. She's really into stuff like that. Can I ask you something?"
"Shoot."
"Do you have feelings for anyone?"
"What? No! I mean, I don't know, that stuff is confusing, and I try not to think about it too hard."
"Specifically, did you like Jaune or Weiss? Just making sure. Don't need a love triangle situation here if we can help it," Yang doubled down.
"They're like my siblings, really. I love them both, but platonically, y'know? I just feel, I don't know, lonely, I guess? You all have each other, and I'm just Ruby."
"Ruby, you still have us. Sure, we're going to be with our partners more, but we're still a team. We're still friends. Me and Blake, Jaune and Weiss, Ren and Nora. We're all still members of the two most kickass teams of hunters Remnant has ever seen."
Ruby smiled at this. "Yeah, I guess we are. I do have one more thing, though. This whole mess started because Salem lost the man she loved and defied the Gods. What's going to happen to us if we lose someone else?" Ruby looked at the ground, refusing to meet Yang's eyes.
"We grieve. Loving with all your heart leaves that heart vulnerable, that's true. That pain is just part of the experience. It's better to love something and then lose it than to never love anything at all, right?"
"Geez, when did you get so wise? Thanks, Yang. This helped. I'm still worried, but I've been worried about someone else dying ever since Pyrrha, and then Penny. It just feels like the stakes are higher, that's all."
"Hey, what are sisters for? I'm just glad I could help. I love you, Sis," Yang said as she hugged Ruby.
"Love you too. Let's get back, I'm dying to change out this shirt."
"Me too. And hey, as your big sister, you should know that I am duty-bound to tease you whenever you do decide to start dating. Just warning you now."
Ruby rolled her eyes, but she was smiling again. "Yeah, yeah."
Fifteen minutes later team RWBY was finally free of the itchy fatigues. Their outfits had all been laundered and returned while they were out, and they had their new clothes as well. Each of them had purchased a variety of clothing to replace everything that had been lost with Atlas, from sleepwear to workout clothes. In addition, they had all updated their combat outfits as well. Ruby had opted for supple, black-leather leggings to replace her normal tights, as she figured they would hold up better to the harsh, sandy environment of Vacuo. She had kept the rest of her outfit largely unchanged.
Blake and Yang had also picked up tops that would work better in the climate, having gotten long-sleeved tunics in the style that many of the desert nomads wore. Yang's was royal purple, and Blake's was sunflower yellow. All of them had also gotten head scarves on the advice of the merchant they were purchasing from. In his words, "Was it better to slowly drain your aura keeping the sun off, or to use a simple piece of cloth to do that work for you so you're ready to fight?"
Weiss had changed her style the most, ditching the elaborate dress she had worn in Atlas in favor of a much lighter midi skirt in periwinkle blue. It had a slit all the way up her thigh to facilitate movement, and she had cinched it with her belts that contained her spare dust cartridges for her weapon. She finished off the ensemble with a pair of white leggings under the skirt, and a white cotton blouse with full-length, flowing arms that had a floral pattern stitched in blue over the breast and down one sleeve. When she had come out of her room, Yang hadn't been able to help but comment.
"Dang, Weiss, looking good. You want me to call Jaune over, see if he approves?"
Weiss looked at her frostily, Myrtenaster out, as she had wanted to go through some practice motions to make sure her range of movement wasn't hindered. "Yang, I always look good."
She lunged with her rapier, leapt from the glyph she had summoned into a backflip, and landed perfectly with a flourish of her weapon. Satisfied, she put Myrtenaster back into its case.
Ruby stuck her head out of their room. "You know there's a training hall, right? You don't have to do that in the hallway."
"Team Journey is down there right now. I didn't want to distract from their training session."
"Yeah, well, you're currently distracting someone." Yang nodded down to the end of the hall, where a small group of people had gathered.
"Looks like word has gotten out that we're back. Probably just seeing if the rumors were true." Blake was seated against the wall at Yang's feet, book open in front of her.
"Wait, we know those guys," Yang said, looking down the hall. "I think that's team Auburn." Team Ruby had battled and defeated Team Auburn at the Vytal Festival two years ago, shortly before everything had gone downhill and Beacon had fallen.
The other team approached. "Ho-lee shit, if it isn't team Ruby," Reese Chloris said. She still sported her neon green hair, cut into a punk rock style. "We thought you guys went down with Atlas."
"Nah, we're too stubborn to die. There was a bit of an issue with our trek here though," Yang said from her position against the wall.
"It's so good to see you all!" Ruby chirped, coming fully into the hall. "How have things been for you guys?"
"Interesting, but I don't think we can hold a flame to your exploits. Team Ruby is spoken of in hushed tones around here," Bolin Hori said, wide smile on his face. "You guys are legends."
Reese snorted. "I wouldn't go that far. But your team certainly has an air of mystique about it."
Arslan Altan, the no-nonsense leader of Team Auburn, said, "We could exchange stories, if you'd all like. They'll be serving dinner down in the dining hall about now."
"I don't see why not," Ruby said. "We're on standby right now, waiting for the headmaster to contact us. But I don't think some food will hurt."
"Cool!" Bolin exclaimed.
Minutes later the teams were seated in the dining hall. As they ate, they talked about the things that had happened to each of them since they'd last seen each other.
"So, you guys helped take down an organization that was attempting to overthrow Shade? Sounds like you've had your fair share of adventure," Yang said, pointing a breadstick at Bolin.
"Yeah, it was pretty crazy. Team Coffee and team Sun played a pretty big part too. Turns out that big guy, Yatsuhashi, has a semblance that overrode the mind control Jax was using," Bolin said.
"And Jax was the leader of the Crown?" Blake asked.
"Yeah, him and his sister were running the show. They wanted the academy overthrown, and for the monarchy to be restored. Jax and Gillian are descendants of the last king, I guess. They had gotten something like fifty people on their side by the time we had figured out what was going on. Thankfully we took them down. I think a couple hardcore supporters that were there of their own volition got away, but with Jax mind wiped by Yatsu they shouldn't be an issue," Reese said.
"I didn't know Yatsuhashi had such a powerful semblance," Weiss said. "Come to think of it, I don't really know what Fox's is either. Coco sure doesn't like to broadcast her teams' skills."
"Yeah, Fox has like telepathy or something. It's really weird having someone else's voice in your head all of a sudden. It came in handy during the fight though," Bolin said.
"What's team Coffee up to right now anyway?" Ruby asked. She had eaten much more of her food than she had at breakfast, and her mood had lifted again.
"They volunteered for a mission to Atlas," Arslan said. "The communications tower in Amity needs a lot of power to function, and so we need groups to go scavenge the fallen city for tech and dust. Something like six Atlesian Frigates, with a team of huntsmen apiece, plus their complement of soldiers are there right now. What really happened anyway? Did Ironwood really lose it? Word is he was going to bomb Mantle there at the end."
"He almost did. He was blackmailing Penny to try to get her to stay in Atlas so Salem couldn't get her Maiden powers. Penny wanted to save everyone, not just the people in Atlas, and refused. He actually tried to drop the bomb, but a member of the Atlesian Special Ops sacrificed himself to stop it. A lot of good people died that day," Blake said sadly.
"Wait, Penny? The android girl that died at Beacon?" Bolin asked.
"Oh, yeah. I guess you wouldn't know that. She was rebuilt. And along the way, she wound up with the Winter Maiden's power. Unfortunately, she really did die when we were trying to get everyone to Vacuo," Blake continued, voice low.
"It was rough," Ruby said sadly. "But we saved who we could. And now we need to finish the fight. I'm glad there are still people like Team Auburn helping out." She smiled at the other hunters.
"Of course. It's what we signed up for, after all," Nadir Shiko, the last member of Team ABRN, and who had been very quiet so far, said. He smiled shyly at her. "It's also a huge moral boost knowing you ladies are back in action, too."
"Oh, well, you know, we do what we can!" Ruby said, laughing awkwardly and looking sideways at Yang, unsure of how to take the compliment.
"We kick ass, we know," Yang said, flexing her biceps.
Blake and Weiss both rolled their eyes at this, but they did so with a smile. "How are the other teams doing?" Weiss asked.
"Well, Indigo and Funky are both away on missions. Funky went to Atlas, and Indigo went out west, I think, to help out a settlement. Nolan is the only member of Team Bronze that survived Beacon, but he's still fighting. He joined up with team Sun," Bolin said.
"He lost his whole team? That's terrible," Blake said, covering her mouth.
"Yeah. Got wiped out by a nevermore, from what he said. Poor guy has been through a lot. But he fits in well with SSSNN, I think. Those guys better get back from Menagerie soon, I miss their particular brand of masculine energy," Reese said, wistful look in her eyes.
"What, me and Nadir are chopped liver?" Bolin asked indignantly.
"I mean, you're not bad, but have you seen Sun's abs? That man looks like he's chiseled from stone. You could sharpen steel on that body," Reese said, faraway look still present on her face.
"Earth to Reese," Nadir said, waving a hand in front of her.
She snapped out of it and sighed. "I hope they're ok. They were supposed to be back two days ago."
"They're dorks, but they know their way around a fight," Blake said. "Sun has some experience with Menagerie, too. Just you wait, they'll come swaggering in like conquering heroes."
At that moment, the doors to the hall opened, but instead of team Sun walking in, team Journey did. They spotted RWBY and ABRN and made their way over.
"ABRN, glad you're back. How'd the mission go?" Ren asked, sitting down next to Arslan.
"Piece of cake. The town just needed their well dug back out after that last sandstorm. We provided some manpower and coverage from the grimm while they got it done. Nothing crazy," Arslan said.
"That's good to hear," Oscar said.
Reese was looking at Jaune, who had sat next to Weiss. "Hey, weren't you another one of the people that was supposed to have died with Atlas?"
"I suppose I was," he said.
"Jaune took the long way here, like us," Yang said quickly, before more questions could be asked. "How'd training go?"
"It went well! I'm really excited by the implications of using Ren and Emerald in tandem. They have semblances that I believe could be very complementary in battle. We're also looking at giving Nora a boost, similar to how Hazel used raw dust. Since she can absorb lightning, we just need a way for her to amp herself up, and then double down with my amp, and I'd pretty sure she could one shot a goliath. We just don't want to overdo it, especially after she overloaded that defense grid in Atlas."
"Plus," Nora added. "I don't really relish the idea of jamming dust stones straight into my body. But the whole killing a goliath in one blow does sound pretty great."
"Right, right," Jaune said distractedly. "We'll figure something out. Next, we need to focus on Oscar getting his semblance unlocked, and then I think we can really start to mesh everybody together."
The rest of the group listened to this with a variety of expressions, from amusement to bemusement. Emerald said, "After that session, I take back what I said earlier, Weiss. Your man is great at this stuff. I'm impressed."
"Of course he is," Weiss said. She had been one of the people listening with amusement while Jaune gushed about the potential stratagems he could employ with his team. She, along with the rest of RWBY and the old JNPR, had known Jaune had a knack for tactics ever since initiation day when they started at Beacon.
Yang got up from the table and stretched. "Well, we haven't heard from Theodore yet. I think I'm gonna hit the gym, if you guys find anything out let me know."
Blake got up too. "I'll come with. A little bit of cardio would do me some good." Together they left the dining hall.
Ruby looked at Weiss. "I think I'm going to head back to the room. We'll meet up if we get word from Theodore, ok? Keep your scroll on. It was good seeing you again, Auburn."
They all said goodbye, and Ruby made her way back to the dorm. She pulled out her scroll as she walked. Qrow's name was dark in her contacts list, meaning he didn't have a signal, wherever he was. She sighed. "You better be ok, Uncle."
Back in her room, Ruby lay down on the bed and stared at the ceiling. She had a lot on her mind, but she felt pretty stable emotionally. What Yang had told her earlier kept circling around and around in her head. And the more she thought about it, the more it made sense. Love was what they fought for. It might sound cheesy, but it was the love of family, and friends, and partners, of places, and pets, and even your favorite foods or books or things that made life worth living.
Salem had loved too, and it was the death of the man she loved that had driven her to madness. She had been told no by the Brother of Creation when she had petitioned him to get Ozma back, and then she had gone to the Brother of Destruction and asked the same of him, omitting that she had already gone to the God of Light. He had given her what he wanted, but reneged when he discovered she had lied to him. Salem had then been cursed with immortality so she could learn the value of life and death, but instead of using her time to reflect, like the Gods had wanted, she had used her power to rally humanity to fight against the Gods.
And so humanity had been destroyed, due to their swayable hearts and Salem's hubris. According to Jinn, Salem had then wandered the Earth, alone, until she found her way back to the realm of darkness. In her desperation, she had tried to drown herself in the fountain there. Instead of reversing her immortality, it had bestowed upon her a further curse. She was now an immortal being with an unquenchable desire for destruction.
Salem is the way she is because of her loss, but also because of the Brothers, Ruby thought. If they hadn't left her alone to find the fountain of darkness, would she still be the way she is? What would happen if they knew what she had become?
Ruby lay there, thoughts such as these chasing themselves around her head, until sleep took her.
When she awoke suddenly, the sun had already sunk in the sky. She started as she realized her scroll was ringing. Yang was calling her.
She scrambled to answer it. "Hello?" she answered, voice thick with sleep.
"Ruby! Good, I was beginning to worry. I had to call like four times before you picked up."
"Sorry, I fell asleep. What's up?"
"Theodore and Qrow are back, with Raven. We're supposed to meet in Theodore's office."
Ruby rubbed her eyes. Oh good. They're ok. "I'll be right up."
A short while later Ruby had joined her team at the top of Shade. Theodore was reclined in his usual spot at his desk. Raven leaned against one wall, and Qrow paced back and forth.
"Good, you're all here. We've got work to do. Well, you four do, anyway," Qrow said.
"What happened to our day off? Weren't we supposed to have some downtime?" Yang asked, arms crossed.
"Oh, I think you'll find your new assignment plenty amenable. However, there is some work to be done, I'm afraid." Theodore had stood up and walked around his desk. "Raven is going to take you to Patch. Tai is very eager to see you."
"We get to see Dad? That's great!" Ruby exclaimed.
"How's he doing?" Yang asked.
"Better, now. We had to help him sort out a rather large incursion of Grimm. But he's fine."
"How large of an incursion are we talking?" Weiss asked.
"A swarm in the low hundreds that followed in a group of refugees. I want Team RWBY to spend some time in Patch, to reinforce the hunters there and to help them get better defenses in place." Theodore paused, considering. "We also got confirmation that Salem was in Vale. She finished the job that was started two years ago, by all the accounts we heard, and then vanished again."
"She finished the job? Does that mean?"- Weiss started.
"I'm afraid so. The survivors said a terrible woman, with chalk white skin, robes as black and red as sin, and complete mastery over grimm annihilated what remained of the city. She also seems to have reanimated the wyvern you petrified, Ruby."
Ruby's face was set with fierce determination. "We can go at once, Headmaster." Her team nodded in affirmation.
"Do you happen to know what happened to any of the teachers and students that were still in Vale?" Blake asked.
Theodore sighed. "We do not. Professors Port and Goodwytch, and Dr. Ooblek, are all unaccounted for. The people we spoke to had fled blindly before the carnage and didn't have a hunter escort. It's quite frankly miraculous as many of them made it to Patch as they did. They traveled overland from Vale and then commandeered some boats. I plan on sending teams to investigate. Vacuo may be getting another wave of refugees in the coming weeks."
Qrow said, "We can take care of all that, don't worry about it. We just need you to help Tai out, get the people there situated as best as you can. Raven will be checking in regularly."
Raven nodded. "Once a day, for as long as needed. If we need to reinforce you, we will."
"Right. Well, no point in wasting any time. Whenever you're ready, Raven," Ruby said.
Raven moved away from the wall and unsheathed her sword. Before she could open the portal, Qrow spoke up.
"Good luck. Tai misses you guys, a lot. He's also got a lot on his plate right now. Take it easy on him."
"Thanks, Uncle Qrow," Ruby said with a smile. "Let's go, team."
Raven slashed open the air, and they stepped through the swirling red vortex to the island of Patch.