A distinct musky sting ran up her nose. Not too strong, but not invisible to the senses either. Deceptively pungent, it brought Ruby back to her days as a little girl. Her dad had just gotten home after a hunt, and for the first time she'd learned how exactly to clean and prepare an animal. The skinning, disemboweling, cutting off the bits you didn't want. Bloody stuff that left her hands coated in a sludge so shockingly warm, but cold at the same time.
The squishiness of the eyes shocked her; she wasn't supposed to touch them after the beheading, but she got curious.
There was certainly something racist in reminiscing about the aftermath of a hunt when fighting against those usually degraded and called animals, but she'd take any chance she got not to see it: the precise moment when light left their eyes. The cease of the shaking, irises turned still, no different to the eyes she dropped once weirded out by their slimy shell.
A hole tore apart the right side of her then opponent's face, reeling her back along the film of her life into the present, where Roman zipped past her to nail the second terrorist in the face with a kick. The guy dropped, and just like that, another point-blank bang forced her to flinch. Roman lifted his cane, spitting back at her, but not entirely with venom.
"We can't be messing around," he said after a skip to the side, dodging bullets to approach the shooter and kick her over the edge.
He didn't need to tell her that; Ruby knew exactly how frantic things were. But still... The emptiness scared her. She expected shock to envelope her body after the first kill, but her reward for approved murder came in the way of a soft fuzziness which curled around fingers. Pins and needles was the best she could describe it as, but no real numbness came.
It just... white noise seemed to swell in her ears, and it drowned out everything around her.
Her eyes skipped from clink to slash and shout and cry. Weiss, Blake, Yang... None of them seemed bothered, but she knew better. Her sister didn't joke. Weiss kept her eyes piercingly straight. Blake dealt only final blows. Nothing worked as it should have; her friends had become little more than gears in a device she could not recognise. Killing was all that mattered, and if she couldn't kill...
Ruby burst apart and shot back a step. The guys who tried to strike her in the back sputtered momentarily together. It didn't matter when she swung wide.
Crescent Rose reaped a fresh set of grain, and she closed her eyes. Droplets of warmth sprayed across her face and rolled as she steadied her breathing. Her senses, while still in overdrive, continued to hum along with the white noise. Nothingness had a melody, and that alone allowed her to focus.
In her head, she hummed to the song that matched her relaxed heartbeat.
To make up for the mess, her father had not only given her a bath, but decided to show her something. With Yang beside her, they marveled at the little box that sang a soothing song. It was their mother's favorite tune, he said, telling them all about how she herself got it from her mom. One at a time, he danced a little with them, and for the first time, Ruby discovered that dancing didn't need to be wild and flashy.
Simple sways. Predictable steps. A soft tune and a spin here and there. That too was dancing.
Ruby didn't realize she'd been dancing until the white noise had become the only thing to sing. Her eyes opened to a disgusting sight, but it was so easy not to look down or focus on the bodies. Within their apparent victory, her throat twisted. Scratches spread down her tongue, and her sight blurred just a tiny bit.
Stupidly she'd looked down, and really focused on one unmasked face.
Blinking away the tears, she instead turned her gaze to Crescent Rose. The symbol of a hero rested against the pavement, drenched almost black, with only thin layers sparkling with stripes of red along the edges.
"To tell you the truth, I didn't know you had it in you." Roman strode up beside her. "Easier to appreciate it when I'm not on the receiving end."
Ruby blinked away any signs of doubt, but she knew he wasn't that blind. Thankfully he ignored her feelings and turned to everyone else. He went on to address them, and even order they meet up with the others to lend aid, however that idea crashed and burned when said 'everyone' came crawling in.
Rather than join in the uncertain huddle as the adults discussed their next plan of action, Ruby stood at the edge. Her vision settled on the trees, and she wondered if they heard the noise from so far away. A hand clapped her shoulder, and Yang squeezed in a little close.
"You alright?"
"Probably not." Ruby leaned against the railing. "I don't know."
"Trust me, you're not alone there."
This was what being a huntress, a hero, was all about: fighting bad guys like the White Fang and saving the innocent.
Blake had been White Fang.
"Alright, gather up everyone!"
Drawn in by Professor Goodwitch's command, Ruby let its distraction draw her lax body back onto the path of urgency. Most of it flew quietly through one ear and out the other, but she got the basic gist. A ship would arrive to gather them as they landed - they were falling - and a plan of action was put in place. They'd be headed out to Vale to help with the sudden outburst of White Fang.
This had been asked, not ordered. They could choose to fight, or stay in Beacon.
"You have until we're restocked to make your decision," Professor Goodwitch said, her stiff posture broken up only by Roman's floatiness beside her. He rolled his eyes, almost as if to say she was scaring everyone off. "Take the time to rest. You will be notified when we leave."
Their first stop? Beacon. Apparently they needed to stock up on dust, but Roman's shifty eyes suggested a secondary reason, and he vanished off to the side as they awaited the landing.
Ruby returned to the edge, and Mint pulled up for a moment to just... stand with her, and together they watched the treeline approach.
.
.
"Understood. Try to keep everyone beside the docks if you can."
"I don't think that's happening. Several of the kids are holding it in, but I've seen my fair share of greens. The grimm don't bleed, and I know that's bothering more than some."
"I'll thank them all personally for their service. They've saved many lives today."
"If you're going to make a speech, then make sure it's a damn good one. They're out here shaking in their boots, and not because they're scared."
James reaffirmed his point before cutting the call. He didn't blame anyone; none of them should have seen blood so soon. The fact it belonged to the White Fang had been their only saving grace; he dreaded momentarily, his eyes back a few years and staring down the barrel of a gun he no longer owned, primed and deadlocked on the forehead of a choking young woman.
Mercy was cruel.
He sent a notification to Ozpin about the soon to come swamp. According to Roman, they'd touched down near the city; close enough that law enforcement could reach them. But with the city under a series of gorilla strikes and nailed with bombs just waiting to cause havoc, he didn't see too many available to help. Thankfully, Ozpin reported sending out a few emergency requests to the hunters he knew personally in Vale, and those available reportedly took the task of ensuring as much of Amity Arena could be safely evacuated as possible.
Some students stayed at the arena according to Roman's word, but how would students fare against another surprise onslaught? James had no idea if the Fang had plans to assault the grounded arena, but that didn't rule out the possibility.
James caught himself losing focus, and with so much stress and caution, he pulled out the one stop to guarantee he could concentrate. He felt the numbness seep through his veins, and his eyes snapped around in search of Cinder Fall as he strode through the halls towards the park.
He'd cleared most of this wing, and based on the layout there were only two entry points she could slip in through undetected while being hunted. He reached the first with ease, and locked it with the key Ozpin gave him when they started their search. From there he secured the second, but left it untouched. The students needed a way out if things got dangerous; a controlled way out where they could funnel Cinder if need be.
Small crowds of people gathered in the park, each uneasy and very much locked onto their scrolls. News traveled fast, but none of it centered around the Amity Arena.
Telling's of police shootouts with White Fang squads brushed by. James rounded several groups, his steps close, but not too close to draw unwanted attention. No signs of Cinder yet.
A crack had his gun out, its nose between the eyes of a young man who froze up; not Cinder Fall.
"E-easy..." He lowered his arm; ears focused on the sudden silence. The hunter in training slowly reached into his pocket, and James readied himself to dodge. A slip of paper trembled before him. "I-I'm just here to give you this."
A tiny sizzle hummed, and that alone justified the tackle.
A brief glance back showed a dissipating arrow, but James had rounded so fast as to fire in the direction it originated. His shot found nothing, and the commotion came. The boy asked what was going on, twice as unnerved and a little jumpy. James ordered him, and everyone, to vacate the premises immediately with a single word: leave.
Up on his feet, he glared and leaned to dodge another arrow from another direction. Run and gun tactics meant she didn't believe she could take him directly. The mission unlatched from 'find Cinder Fall' and clicked into 'draw out Cinder Fall.' She'd never hit him. He estimated it would take several minutes before she accepted this. Impatience would not sway her, otherwise they'd have had her by now, but frustration might.
James took an arrow to his false arm. He artificially stumbled. His apparent distraction lured out several more shots, and after six rapped across his body at various points, he dropped his aura and let a shot pierce his mechanical shoulder. A deep scoff and partial growl fit the situation. Cinder took the bait, floating towards him from above.
Her lips curled into a smug grin as she touched down; fire in her hands as electricity occasionally flickered in small bursts.
"Seems even great generals can fall~"
He showed off some teeth; enough to keep her eyes on his face and not his hands.
.
.
This couldn't be the end of it.
Cinder waved her hand, toying with the magic of the Fall Maiden. The boy before played his part well as a distraction, but it proved a nice surprise for the general to clear the park. Ironwood expected a fight, and while she debated fleeing to search elsewhere, she figured wearing him down would turn out for the better.
He snarled, and while she expected this from anyone else, the action didn't quite fit the proud general. From what she'd seen and gathered, he was more of a 'scowl' sort of guy. From the corner of her eye she spotted the shift of white below his chest.
Cute~
He adorably thought she wouldn't notice a sneak attack in the making; yet another opportunity to wear him down.
Strolling up with some throwaway taunts, she twisted on her last step - the second she'd seen any adjustment in his elevation. Her back arched as he rose over her. A rogue shot bit into one of the marble monuments of which she'd hid behind. Beacon truly had a beautiful park, so it was a real shame the Atlesian General had to ruin it.
Within her hands her favorite blade erupted from a spray of fire to catch Ozpin's lackey off guard from underneath in a spinning uppercut.
Aura flared as he stepped back, proving then that it hadn't broken.
Cinder would have enjoyed that victory if a shock of electricity hadn't stabbed her right in the back. Violently she drew in the wind, swallowed whole by her desire to spin a shell of violent sharp gusts able to slice apart skin and bone alike. Through her chaotic shield she glared back at Ozpin, who himself lived in her vision for mere seconds.
Eyes whipped back to Ironwood, but he'd gained distance and stood beside the thorn in her side.
Even so, she smiled and straightened her back. The Fall Maiden may have still evaded her, as did the vault, but according to the mistress, Ozpin wouldn't let them go far. She needed only to tear apart his precious school, and with all of Atlas's forces focused on the city, that carried the weight of a feather.
.
.
Mint saw it the second they landed: Roman's shakes.
Being a man who prided himself on keeping up appearances, the fact he'd seemed less than perfect at all meant trouble. She didn't blame him either. Cinder wanted something from within Beacon, and with Amity Arena grounded and the city of Vale under sparse assaults, that meant she had ample opportunity to search around the school.
Mint wouldn't let her. She didn't care about the plan anymore; the plan was shot to dust and scattered by now. This chaos... this was the plan, and Cinder wouldn't have a use for them once things all blew over. After seeing Neo die so many times, Mint knew this would be her best chance to catch the bitch.
If, of course, fate would allow it.
Her time in Beacon had given Mint something she hadn't known she'd needed, but definitely appreciated: a break from the feeling of death. Her days had been mere meandering and jokes and simple fun. The assault in Amity reminded her how easily that candle could be doused. She'd felt them, the short-cut lives of every single White Fang pawn up there.
However the cause of their deaths had surprised her.
Ruby Rose, the girl who wanted so badly to be a hero and could see her outside of destiny, had gently murdered each and every man and woman who dared cross her tornado. Eyes shut and twirling in tune to some unspoken command, Ruby had expertly cut down everyone to approach, and her ballet of execution only ceased when she'd bisected the final fool who tried to leap.
Never once had she broken her tempo; the act looking outright primal, but dressed up in elegance.
Neo had never once come close to stopping Cinder before, but perhaps with Ruby's help, Mint might stand a chance. But Ruby was a gentle soul, and very clearly didn't enjoy killing people. Grimm? sure, but not flesh and blood people. Huntsmen propaganda cultivated an air of honor in the act of slaying grimm. The schools all said huntsmen and huntresses were the defenders of humanity against the grimm.
People were not grimm... at least not entirely.
"Is something wrong?" Ruby looked at her, eyes still and matte, but curious enough.
Mint nodded and pulled her along. Thankfully none of the others noticed immediately, and so Mint led her away from the others into a secluded spot behind the fountain around front. From there she made her request to find and defeat Cinder Fall; key word being "defeat." She would be killing Cinder Fall - not Ruby.
"She's one of them, isn't she?"
Not just one of them, Mint clarified, but the whole head as far as she knew. But this tugged from her friend a strange question.
"Does it... Does it ever feel... right?"
In terms of justice? No. That answer added weight to Ruby's arms, and her shoulders slumped. However, Mint wasn't on terms with leaving her friends in such a sore spot.
"If it feels right, that means we've become monsters." Mint would know; Neo became a monster before she even hit puberty.
Every now and then she wondered if all of the others got out; she believed so, but there was no telling if one of the kids was locked up in the closet of the caretaker's office during the burning. Their presumed punishment was the last they ever had if so.
Their search didn't swallow much time, mainly because Cinder never did things subtly when she thought she'd won.
Standing in the middle of the empty park, with a worn out Ozpin and Ironwood across from her, Mint scowled. Both men carried singes along their clothes, dust littered the air, more than just fire flowed around the prick, and to top it all off: an obscure sense of worry clicked methodically from everywhere around her.
Both men braced, and with Cindy seemingly drawn into a fight, Mint took the time to commission a plot with Ruby, one which had them, together, zipped forward and above. Cinder glanced up just in time to receive a boot to the face. Mint kicked off, flipping back to land beside her partner who condensed into a single person again.
Months of strung up muscles melted into butter.
Seeing Cinder's aghast face awarded her with more than mere confidence. Still no notions of guaranteed doom, but that didn't mean they couldn't kick the ass to the curb for a while. Although, she found it odd how both Ozpin and Ironwood behind her shared in her fit of shock, stony and locked in place. Ruby called out, confused as well and even going so far as to turn to her. But as with everything else weird, Ruby stiffened.
Fingers slithered over her face; fingers that devoured all the warmth in Mint's body. And then it came, like a kiss to the senses.
"I've finally found you."
Frostbite burrowed out from underneath stiff papery skin, and Mint could feel the interloper's heartbeat through the veins of each finger as two hands turned her face sideways to stare into dark stars. Crimson rings dug into her heart and mind, and a soft, unfavorable smile broke apart to let the silky voice wrap her into a trance.
"You're doused in their scent... How many times have they interfered?"
Mint couldn't fathom who, or what, she'd been ensnared by. Fortunately, she had Ozpin to rectify her ignorance.
"S-Salem!?"
Author's note
…
Well well, the big bad is here.
We got a look into Ruby's perspective this time, although probably not as outright exciting as what most would like. Ironwood broke out his semblance, and even Ozpin joined in the fray. No battle between them, sadly, but it wouldn't offer much other than Cinder magic-ing away everything by the pair.
Nobody technically lost, but that hardly matters now.
Get ready for next time.
Later.