"You…" Jeanne asked. "You actually intend to become the Fall Maiden?"

Ruby wasn't the only one who wondered about it. Pyrrha was always the nice one to her, usually putting others before her own. The Grail War and all its losses had weighed down on her and Pyrrha soon made her choice to take that which she wanted. Ruby still wasn't quite as sure if she had the details right of her own wish.

But the destroyed Vale that surrounded her was something that couldn't go on. Too many homes were lost. Too many lives and livelihoods destroyed. This was Vale, her home kingdom. Beacon still stood as the shining hope. Ruby bit her lip. She had no idea what the specifics of it would entail. All Ruby knows is that she has to do something.

Pyrrha nodded. "A Maiden has a lot of magical energy to use as reserves on top of their aura. Salem doesn't need to be talked about since she still has it all. Not only that, but we will have to face her eventually and I'd rather that it happens sooner rather than later; she might take a chance at getting more power."

"But do you know where she's going?" Chiron asked, adopting a teacher's tone. "Remnant is a big place, where do you even begin?"

She never dropped her javelin; it was still pointed north. "She will go to Atlas. But she will not return to Salem. She knows, just as we do now, that Salem's immortality is no longer a guarantee. With Harpe and that Black Cannon, Cinder would know that she could gain her own wish legitimately and so intends to take that chance. We know that to be the case."

"Plus, she would want that source of power on her hands," Rider added. "Being able to kill immortals is one boon that anyone would want. It wouldn't surprise me if she pursued immortality herself and kept the only means of killing her to herself."

"So what are we going to do?" Nora asked. "We chasing after them?"

"That would be unwise," Jeanne advised. Ren nodded in agreement. "By the time we catch up to them, we'd be exhausted. That isn't considering the possibility that they aren't laying a trap for us."

"Pyrrha," Ruby entered the conversation. "We still need to save Atlas."

"Atlas is doomed either way, Ruby," Pyrrha answered. She then asked Chiron, "is Atlas being evacuated?"

"As we speak," he answered. It was his turn to ask Ruby, "does that answer your question, miss Rose?"

"And Mantle?" Ruby said. "We could use all the help we could get."

"They have Jekyll, Archer, and Astolfo," answered Rider. "Archer alone had made plans and it would be rather shortsighted if he had to take chances. Our presence was accounted for but our specific identities could not. Archer had to plan around it and allow himself some openings for that flexibility."

"He'd retain the core skeleton of the plan and make sure that everything else is within their margin." Chiron nodded. There was pride in his voice. "Good. You're finally using the other things I taught you."

Pyrrha beamed at the praise. "It's been a while since I last played the lyre though. And I might need a refresher on first aid."

"That can come in time," Chiron advised. "But Jeanne did raise a good point: if you are to chase after her, you'd all be too exhausted to fight. I suggest you still go with us to Atlas. From there, you have Archer's resources of finding Cinder and there's no doubt that they'd help you if only to get rid of the competition."

"There's also Neo," Yang added. "It was during the game of Liar's Dice." It seemed that Jeanne understood what that meant. "Neo has this vendetta against Cinder."

"Roman," Ruby said. "It's Roman Torchwick."

"She has too many enemies," Sanson commented. "And if I'm not mistaken, she played a part in the White Fang's involvement back when Beacon had been attacked." He stood up. "I'll inform Adam. At least with him, you can trust that he won't stab you in the back."

"The day I would trust my back to be watched by a terrorist is the day I'd have gone crazy," Weiss commented. "Sorry. But I'm just thankful that it isn't my back that he's watching." She sighed. "I think I'll talk to my sister first. If you're going to do this, Pyrrha, you'll need all the help you can get. Winter is so going to kill me for this."

"Thank you," Pyrrha said. "All of you. I'll make sure that she pays for the crimes she committed." She addressed Rider. "You were right."

"Told you," Rider replied. "Far too many enemies she has. The only question that needs answering is how you're going to get her to think about you in those moments. I have my own plans for that but I cannot guarantee anything. There's also the case with Emerald and Mercury."

Pyrrha turned to Ren and Nora. "You two?"

"I'll refine my forms." Ren nodded. "Then, I shall engage with Mercury in a contest of fist and feet."

"No illusion is going to overpower these babies!" Nora flexed her biceps. "I'd like to see illusion bench three of me!"

While team JNPR were making their own plans, Weiss leaned closer to Ruby's ear. "And you? What do you plan to do, o Master of... a Servant?" Weiss looked towards Lancer.

Lancer scoffed. "Ignorant little kids don't know how good they got it with someone like me."

But Weiss continued. "What's the plan, Ruby? What's your plan?"

Ruby slumped. It had been a long time since she had taken charge of anything. She hadn't been much for sitting down and plotting things out; she was more of a think-on-your-feet kind of leader and that hasn't quite changed over the course of the Grail War. She had her goals. How she was going to get to them didn't have that many bullet details.

"We could start with Vale?" Ruby answered. Weiss wasn't satisfied with that answer so she continued. "Beacon is still standing, Weiss. People need huntsmen and huntresses. We can't exactly have that without a people for Beacon to get its students from. So, rebuild Vale. We'll do that."

Weiss looked more satisfied with it and nodded. "It's not as personal as Pyrrha's but at least it isn't something too grand."

"How is rebuilding an entire kingdom in one lifetime not grand?"

"I don't know." Weiss shrugged. "Grail Wars, magic, wizards and witches, gods, saints, whatever Chiron is because there is no way you could pass off as a faunus looking like that."

"Centaur, miss Schnee," Chiron clarified. "And as you children say it: yes, way. I speak from experience. I am a horse faunus, legally. My legally registered semblance allows me to legally change to a more humanly accepted form, legally born out of my desire to fit in, legally. Did I mention legally?"

Weiss didn't believe it in the slightest. "Pyrrha, don't tell me you actually fell for that."

"Okay." Pyrrha looked away. "I won't."

That one surprised Rider. Jeanne had a similar reaction. In fact, those two bore similar faces right now.

"How did—" Weiss shook her head. "You know what? You and Jaune really are partners. Okay? Congratulations, you two are meant for each other."

Jeanne was the first to break from the twin symmetry. "It's going faster than last time." She feigned wiping a tear. "I am so proud."

"What?" Rider asked.

"Nothing." Jeanne turned to Chiron. "Hey Chiron, do you have an apple?"

"You do realize that the roles would have to be reversed for that to happen, right?"

"Who says they have to be? I'm traditional."

"I don't mean to be the bearer of the obvious," Lancer said. "But aren't we getting sidetracked?"

"Not really," Sanson said. "We intend to go to Atlas. But team JNPR, along with Adam, intends to split off from the rest and eliminate one more competitor. It's two birds and one stone."

"Besides," Rider added. "You already have one kill with Assassin. I'm not about to fall behind, not against the one creature I'm supposed to be fighting a lot."

"Big risk you're taking," Lancer returned. "Berserker would have fought against you just as many times. You know its weaknesses, it'll know yours."

"That's why we're not planning on dealing with Berserker," Pyrrha answered. "Rider will keep it distracted. Our focus is on Cinder."

Ironwood's lessons returned to Ruby's mind. Going for the enemy Master was a viable and even preferred strategy when Servants are this capable. Ruby's thoughts went dark as Arthur Watts, who is not a huntsman, entered into mind. But she can't go after Archer, not with the god of light around.

Ruby groaned. "Why must this Watts guy have a smarty-pants for a Servant? And you know what I mean, Lancer!"

Lancer shut her own mouth.

"Can't we use the Holy Grail for the bullet?" Ruby continued. "Atlas has resources that we could use to rebuild Vale."

"The Grail should manifest once the winner has been decided," Chiron answered. "In order for that to happen, Archer would have to win the Grail War which is partly why he planned it the way that he did."

"And you just let him?" Jeanne asked.

"This way, we get access to information on Salem's movements," Chiron explained. "Ozpin didn't need any for Jekyll had his experiences of his Remnant to draw from. They weren't the most accurate estimations but they've had a few correct instances here and there."

"Still," Jeanne insisted. "You can't have just relied on Archer's plans for this."

"It is his plans that allowed Voyager's record to be played." Chiron stood firm on that stance. "I'll admit that we could have relied entirely on Harpe for both. But Voyager's Golden Record was of utmost importance; our continued presence here hinges on it. Not everyone has the same benefit as you, miss d'Arc: building an entirely separate reputation in another Remnant that allowed for your manifestation. The rest may not have the same privilege." He pointed to himself.

Jeanne conceded the point. Chiron nearly became passionate at the end there that even Pyrrha appeared nervous. Rider even put his arm between Jeanne and Chiron, as if protecting her.

"So," Lancer spoke up. "If you are going to deal with Berserker, after light has kicked the bucket, you expect us to deal with Archer?"

Ruby then remembered Weiss' words from earlier. "What was that favor you were going to ask Winter for?"

Weiss sighed. "I was planning on asking if Penny could join them. I don't know enough about this Archer, but I do know doctor Arthur Watts; he's a great scientist with an acute mind for machines, software especially."

Yang connected the dots fast. She whistled. "They'd hack Penny."

Ruby was scandalized at the notion. "They wouldn't!"

But then, she gave it more thought.

"Penny has the means of combating even Servants. Hacking Penny means that they secured a second Servant basically."

She looked to the Companion Servants. Chiron had his biases. Sanson would side with Blake and Jeanne would be inseparable from team JNPR. That doctor Jekyll would side with Atlas and professor Astolfo was professor Astolfo.

Ruby could see that the odds would be heavily stacked against her if she were in his place. Faced with such odds, Watts had to secure his place in any way that would enable his advantages. Neo had her vengeance against Cinder on top of her semblance of illusions, maybe an answer for Emerald's own. This League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, securing information and influence across all of Remnant. Willfully offering his services since it meant that he would be closer to his goals. Just how far did Watts and Archer plan for? Could they even do anything about it?

"Salem sure knows how to pick 'em," said Lancer. "Most of them, anyway."

"If it is of any consolation, miss Rose." Sanson leaned forward since Ruby was looking downward; he made sure to look at her in the eye. "Archer's plans account only for those variables that have been guaranteed. It is only when Lancer, Rider, Jeanne, and even Astolfo had arrived that he could make plans for them."

"Implying that he already hasn't," Lancer wasn't quite consoled.

"Those two needed to prioritize something," Sanson returned. "Archer needed his time and peace to commit to any scheme. Too much distraction and he is liable to make mistakes."

"He didn't account for me not already having Harpe," Jeanne added. "Liar's Dice."

"Well, kid?" Lancer looked to Ruby. "That's our next step? Cereal girl over here goes to deal with Cinderella while we deal with 221B Baker Street?"

"How do you expect us non-Servants to get that?" Blake shook her head.

"And how do you know it's a Servant thing?"

"Because it makes no sense. Right now, anything that makes no sense might as well default to this Grail War."

Daylight was passing by them and the teams have yet to move out. Raven herself was still busy, mainly transporting some more people towards Mistral, those who had to separate from their families and especially the brave civilians that decided to take up arms in those final hours of the battle.

When asked about uncle Qrow, Raven answered: "he's still fine. I can feel him out there. The only worry you should be having is for his liver; that thing is working overtime from here." She singled out Chiron as she raised her voice. "Hey boss! When do I get to leave? This is still overtime, yeah?"

"Is lien really all you think about?" Chiron returned with an angry voice.

"Banditry doesn't exactly have a good salary," Raven replied. "Forgive me if I'm a little concerned about my ability to support myself financially. I need to pay my bills and soon, given my age, that also means my medical bills."

Chiron shook his head.

Ruby heard Pyrrha say: "this is the first time I've ever seen teacher be this angry."

"He's usually so patient," Rider replied.

"Centaurs could get much worse," Jeanne added. "Chiron is the nice one."

"Should you be talking about his race this openly and in front of him?" Ren asked.

"We're Servants," Jeanne answered.

"That doesn't answer the question."

Ruby needed her space. But first, she smiled that Blake, Weiss, and Yang were all within her vision. Blake still kept some distance from Yang but they were getting closer bit by bit. Plus, Adam's name being mentioned didn't elicit the same reaction from Yang like it did before! That was progress. Little victories, Ruby. Little victories.

"Cat is still out there, Master," Lancer pointed out. "Wouldn't surprise me if Cat is trying to get one Cinder's goons for whatever plan Caster has."

"Can we plan things one at a time?" Ruby requested. "We got Archer and Berserker already. I still need to think of something when we get to fight Pyrrha." She then realized the thought. "I don't want to be the one to kill Jaune!"

"So, you'd rather that Rider die before then?" Lancer asked.

"No! Why would I want that?"

"Because either scenario means you'll get closer to the Grail? That confrontation is going to happen sometime, kid. On top of that, you still haven't quite mastered your silver eyes, yet. You managed to bring them out once. But you'll need to train more before you start blasting Grimm left and right by looking at 'em."

Ruby unleashed a barrage of aggressive pats with her fists on Lancer. Lancer's defense of lazily raising an arm was too strong that Ruby couldn't break through it. Ruby gave her best, killer eyes which had the effect of raising one eyebrow from Lancer. She made them even worse which raised the corners of Lancer's lips into that of amusement.

She kept going until her arms grew tired. Lancer's impenetrable defense was too much for her mighty fists.

She gasped for air. How much did she exert just now?

"Got that out of your system, kid? Because I'm not going to take back anything I've said; we'd still have to face them down someday if we both make it to that final ending."

Ruby didn't want to deal with that right now nor does she want to deal with it later down the road. She wants to rebuild Vale; this is her home, the place that she grew up in and houses Beacon Academy, the school that she wanted to go to. But she also wants her friend back; it couldn't be like old times but they were back at least.

Lancer wouldn't go after Pyrrha; Ruby was sure of that. It didn't make it any better since the opposing Servant is the one of her best friends. To do that was to be responsible of taking Jaune away. Ruby may never deal the final blow herself but it would be her hand, her command, that Rider would perish should he lose.

There's no way that Ruby would let Lancer die instead. That was cruel and harsh! She couldn't possibly do anything of the sort and Lancer would like to live long enough if only to see more adventure.

She groaned to the high heavens above her. "Why must other Masters be my own friends?" At least with Cinder, Salem, and even Watts, she could push aside any of those morals away in pursuit of her own wishes. If only Grimm were the Masters, then she wouldn't have to worry about any pesky hard choices. She kicked a pebble and sighed.

A nice round and flat rock was there waiting for her. Ruby sat on it and slumped, her head was held up by her palms whose elbows were, in turn, held up by her knees. She trilled as her eyes looked towards Beacon Academy. The unmoving school said nothing. If it did, the surrounding noises drowned it out; people were picking up what they could while others are using that chance to rest more

Not one person got frustrated with the other; all of them were unsure of what to do moving forward with only a few having a modicum of an idea that would keep them going. Raven still hadn't brought back any aid from Mistral as most are choosing to move to Mistral.

The sudden thump the sheathe of a weapon took Ruby out of her mental state. When she looked up, it wasn't anyone that she had expected at all. Instead, it was Adam Taurus that took a smaller rock to sit in front of her. Behind Adam was Blake.

Adam looked to Blake. "What makes you think that I'm somehow the best person for this?"

"Because you're a leader once and had to make the hard choices. Admittedly, they weren't hard for you to make since you always said yes and that they were machines. But you did choose when it came to civilians."

Ruby caught Blake's fingers digging into Adam's shoulders. His aura was flaring on that spot.

"He'll behave." Blake assured Ruby. "Don't worry about it." She patted his shoulders and left the two alone, as alone as a dematerialized Lancer could provide. Ruby had to give the command that Lancer give them physical space.

Ruby's cheeks puffed as she thought of something to say. Nothing came to mind and she went to the one place that she was comfortable. "That's a cool weapon."

Adam raised one eyebrow. "That's not exactly how one starts a conversation with a terrorist."

"And you have a rose thing too going on." Ruby ignored Adam's comment. She chuckled awkwardly. "That's funny, I'm Ruby Rose and you have a rose emblem going for you. We also got the red and black going on…"

"Is this going to go anywhere else before you get to the point? You want to know if you should kill off Rider in pursuit of your wish."

Ruby blew off that idea. "What? Me? Kill Rider? But he's my friend. Well, he's the reincarnation of my friend from another timeline, but he's still my friend."

Adam groaned. "Ruby, is it? I'll spell it out for you: you weren't subtle. Your thoughts, groaning, moaning, and complaining were heard by everyone. You're lucky that the only people who heard it were the people who already know what you're talking about." He shook his head. "If there had been some authority of keeping this Grail War a secret, you'd be the first to get kicked out."

Ruby crossed her arms. "Humph! Some help you are. You don't get to make any hard choices."

Adam doubted it. "I'm a terrorist. One who has led many raids, involving casualties on those I had once called comrades. I've dealt with traitors who eventually turned away from the cause. They may be numbers in the end to me, but they were lives in those early days."

"Yeah?" Ruby was faltering already. "Well you didn't have to make the hard choice of killing people you're okay with."

"The aforementioned traitors already slipped out of your mind? There's also the civilian casualties that I've had to balance constantly when it came to my vengeance."

"Yeah well—"

He raised a hand. "Personal vengeance. Not a noble cause of the White Fang, personal vengeance. And civilians include faunus civilians. You know? The people the White Fang is supposed to be fighting for? The people I picture myself being a hero to?

"That just means you're a dumb-dumb who didn't think things through."

Adam's nose flared. If it wasn't for the mask, Ruby was sure he would charge with horns forward. Why did she have to wear red?

"Sorry." Ruby bowed her head. "I just don't know how you're going to help me on this angle."

"Neither do I." Adam shrugged. "But our mutual cat-faunus clearly thinks that I am somehow the best person to help you on this endeavor."

As some kind of display of a peace offering, Adam put down the sword on the ground between them. He kept his hands on his knees with palms facing upward. Those hands then sank to the space between his legs as he leaned forward.

But when he removed the mask, Ruby's eyes widened. There was an SDC branding on that face and the one eye unfortunate enough to have been within the shape of the branding was damaged.

"Not many people know this," Adam said. "I could have used this to my advantage, looking back. But I wouldn't be surprised if Jacques Schnee would have had some sort of movement against this."

"D-did they—"

Adam shook his head. "I got into an argument. They said I fell."

A minute of silence passed. Ruby was sure that a tumbleweed had rolled past them.

The silence was broken by a snort. It was followed by a chuckle. Eventually, Ruby descended to full laughter. All that cool and mysterious air about Adam, the epic tragedy that could force a man like him to take the measures that he did, the rage and anger that had come from him, all of this began because he had two left feet one day.

Ruby kept laughing while Adam only stared at her, eyes deadpan. His hand reached for the sheath again and a clicking noise was heard from the sheath; part of the sword's blade reflected the light.

"Shutting up." Ruby went stiff. She had her weapon but she wasn't about to test Adam's speed in drawing his.

The sword went back into the sheath with an audible click; Ruby hid away her sigh of relief.

Adam took one deep breath and began. "Look. I have no idea what to tell you. I've thrown away lives. All of it was to get back at them for the stuff I went through. I'm not even going to try to tell you to kill Rider or Lancer. You're the Master of this Grail War thing and only you can make that choice, if that's even the choice you want to make."

"What do you mean if that's the only choice? What other choice do I have?"

He shrugged. "If I were a Master, I still wouldn't tell you; I have to secure my advantage." Ruby stuck her tongue out but Adam kept going. "I also said that it was they who said I fell. Not that I fell myself. The reality is that they believed that I deserved it. I was stepping out of line or that I was disrupting the peace. Nothing changed in my eye and that was that. I found my home in the White Fang and the rest you'd already know if you bothered to watch the news."

"I watch the news." Ruby sounded weak, unsure, lying.

"Of course, you do." Adam rolled his one eye. He went back down and wore his mask again. "That was the first hard decision I had to make: join some organization branded as terrorist, which hadn't been since it was still Ghira, or stay in that damned mine and wait for the next branding because I wanted something better."

"Was it just for you or…"

"Pick one. Either way, I wanted something and once I made that choice, I'd stick to it until circumstances had to pull me to another direction." He spread out his arms. "Like this Grail War for instance. You'd think I'd even be sitting here if it wasn't for the Grail War? There's a Schnee right within my sights and I'm currently armed. Her back is towards me and that neck is looking very inviting."

Ruby's hand hovered over Crescent Rose. That was Weiss he was looking at.

"I wasn't always going to be that violent. There was a time that I had actually, believe it or not, that I would have spared you humans. There was a time that I did regret killing the humans when they have been subdued, cowering, put in their place. Seeing that fear in those eyes, like they were staring down the maws of a Grimm…"

"Uh…" Ruby raised a finger. "Adam?"

"They'd beg for their lives. One by one, they'd surrender but no! There were no prisoners."

"Adam!" Ruby's pitched went higher than she intended. She had to hold her own throat.

"Sorry, old habits." Adam sat back down. "Where was I?"

"I don't know." Ruby shook her head. "I honestly have no idea where you were going with it. I'm just looking for advice on what to do and Blake apparently chose you for this."

"Right." Adam nodded. "To the point then. I had to make my own decisions. Over the years I spent in the White Fang, I'd made friends and comrades I could never have made it this far without. Some of them, like Blake, left and made their own path. Some simply couldn't do it anymore, others deliberately betrayed me."

Ruby waited for Adam to continue. He went silent as his head hung low.

"The traitorous ones got in the way of the White Fang. Leaking information and location, we couldn't let them keep getting away with it so we had to make that choice; I had to make that choice. For every member that simply left because they thought they did enough was a chance that they would end up giving away our location and our plans. In order to continue our plans, we had to take them out."

"But that isn't exactly the same as mine though." Ruby insisted. "Pyrrha and I aren't going to betray each other like that."

"No, but you'll both have to in the end." Adam looked up. "Neither of you would have that hardship of deliberately going against your friends. You, at least, have the benefit of knowing that betrayal is coming and could thus prepare for it. Unlike what happened with me, there isn't going to be any bitter feelings beyond that loss that either of you will go through."

"What did you do, then?"

"Me? I wouldn't suggest you do what I did. I got angry, lashed out, and sought vengeance against those people. All the while, I was wondering what had gone wrong. How did they turn out the way they did? Do they not realize just what the White Fang was fighting for? What it was killing for?"

Adam seemed to realize something because he was nodding but his eyes were on the horizon.

"Yes," he said. "Don't do what I did. If you lose, don't get so horribly bitter that you plot vengeance against your friend. If you win, don't get too paranoid if your friendship dies. If it does, it may not be a friendship that you two had in the first place."

He said nothing more and left Ruby there. He was physically still sitting across her but neither of the two were talking. Adam turned away and his breathing slowed to a calm and meditative rhythm.

As for Ruby, she looked towards Beacon Academy. She then looked around her, focusing on the buildings that once were. She could make out, in detail, the location of weapon shops and forges that she would frequent for the sake of her weapon or simply to check out the weapons that were on display. She pictured the Dust shops, including the one that she had been at that one night that led to her encounter with Roman.

Ruby stood up. Her cloak fluttered along with the breeze. She took in the sight of lone Beacon Academy and committed it to memory. Vale was cleaning up the mess. They couldn't all rebuild Vale in one lifetime; it would take too long.

Then, she remembered about that plan of Watts and Archer. She recalled the messages of this Golden Record.

She put out her hand; her fingers shaped the letter L. She pictured a building right there.

"So," Adam said. "What exactly do you intend to do?"

Ruby took her time before she formulated an answer.

"First, I'm going to win the Grail War."

"Then?"

"Then, I'm going to make a wish of resources and rebuild Vale. But I have some upgrades in mind."

Lancer had materialized behind her. "Oh? What kind of upgrades do you intend to get, Master? I kept my distance, kid. We Servants could always do that even with the vanishing act."

Yet, Ruby didn't appear bothered by it. "Everyone heard that message, didn't they? I know I'm not the only one who wants to answer it." A certain doctor appeared before her mind. "And I know just the person who could help me with it. Let's make our own alliance, yeah?"

AN: So, a bit of some background. One of the things I tried to do to make things easier is to give similar enough wishes for each of our Masters. Salem and Ozpin have the ends to the former's immortality with a difference in approach on causalities. Pyrrha and Cinder have the "Rusted Knight" as theirs with the specifics behind the "Rusted Knight" splitting the two. God of light is the only one different. Ruby and Watts are the ones that are kinda shared.