A short time had passed since teams RNJR and CRMS along with Roman had arrived at their destination, and they all took this as an opportunity to relax after how long it had taken them all to get where they were now.
They all did enjoy that they had the perfect opportunity to collect their thoughts and to gather their energy after the many battles they fought together as one.
Some of them had to admit, the road was long, and even tough on them both physically, mentally and even emotionally, but they were able to pull through, because they had each other, and that was all that mattered.
Now that they were all here they wanted to savoir their small victory since it had all been worth it in the end, despite the obstacles they had faced.
Currently, Nora, Ren, Rosario and Scout were all playing cards in one of the joined rooms they were currently staying in during their time in Mistral. They all sat around a bed, with Rosario only having one leg since her prosthetic was currently being repaired, and they were playing a game of poker and they were betting with various snacks and or candy they had gotten on their travels and the now little Grimm Griffon was curled up on the other bed and was fast asleep.
They were studying the cards in their hands carefully as they looked at each other not knowing who was holding what in their hands.
Rosario smirked at what she had in her hand, "I raised three chocolate bars." Rosario said, pushing two chocolate bars in the middle.
"I fold." Scout said, gathering the cards in her hand.
"Can't me out of this one." Ren said, putting his cards on the bed.
"I raise you three lollipops." Nora said, pushing some lollipops into the center.
"Oh, getting bold are we?" Rosario said with a raised eyebrow, "Well we'll see about that…"
With a smirk on her face Rosario laid down the cards she had face up in front of her; there were four cards that had the same number.
"Read'em and weep, four of a kind." Rosario said triumphantly as she went to take the candy from the middle. Though she stopped when Nora placed the cards that she had in her hand and had put Rosario into shock.
She had a Royal Straight Flush.
"WHAT AND HOW?!" Rosario exclaimed.
"Woohoo!" Nora cheered as she took the candy in the middle, "I win the pot!"
Rosario groaned at this, as she fell back into the bed. "I don't believe it, that's the sixth time she won this round!" Scout said.
"That's not fair!" Rosario said before saying to Nora as she sat back up, "You said you never played before!"
"You're just upset because I beat you at poker!" Nora said, sticking her tongue out at her.
"On the bright side, at least we're not playing with real money." Ren said.
"Yeah I would've lost everything I had in my wallet if that were the case." Rosario said as she fell back onto the bed.
The door soon opened as it had been revealed to be Cristal as she had cracked her neck. "Hey guys!" She said, "Playing cards?"
"Cristal?" Rosario said, a bit shocked, "You're still here?"
"I thought you would've gone to the hospital with Ruby and Jaune to see your dad." Nora said.
"Eh, I wanted to sleep in." Cristal said as she sat on the bed, "After a long few months of traveling it felt nice to sleep in a real bed. Dad would get where I'm coming from. Plus you gotta have one more hand to keep an eye on Qrow."
"I guess none of us can argue with you on that one." Ren said.
Senka perked up and flew from the bed, landing on her shoulders, and wrapping his tail around her neck as if he was a lemur. Cristal couldn't help but giggle as she pat Senka on the beak and scratched him on the head. "You know something, I don't think I've ever seen Senka attached to you before." Scout pointed out.
"Seems kind of odd, especially for a Grimm, no offense." Nora said.
"None taken." Cristal said Senka started to nuzzle her cheek and did some kind of pur, "And I guess after my near death experience a certain someone here is getting a little protective."
Senka let out a growl to her, talking to her again, and Cristal couldn't help but laugh. "You know you love me buddy." Cristal said as she scratched his head before she turned to the others, "Mind if I get in on a round?"
"Sure--" Rosario said, as she gathered the cards, "--We were about to start a new hand anyway."
"Though, Nora might end up taking the winning pot again." Scout said.
"Really?" Cristal said, a bit shocked, "How many did she win?"
"Six pots in total." Ren replied.
"Honestly I don't know how she does it." Rosario said, "And she said, she never played the game before. I'd still say she made up that lie."
"Or maybe it's because I'm very lucky!" Nora said still with a smile.
Cristal couldn't help but laugh at this. "Seems like it's one hell of a game." She said amusingly.
"You try playing poker with this girl and tell me I'm wrong!" She said to her.
Cristal snickered as she cracked her hands, "I'll take that bet! Big Sis happened to show me all of her special tricks in this game."
The group started to shuffle the deck as Cristal herself couldn't help but look out the window, where they could get a whole view of the city. "... It's only been two days, and I still can't believe we're here."
"Same here." Nora said with a smile, "You ready to see your little sister?"
Cristal only huffed as she had a smile, "I'm as ready to see her as she is to see me. I've got so much I want to tell her."
"How do you even know she's here?" Rosario asked, "I mean you gotta have some sort of indication."
Cristal only gave a smile before she replied, "That's my little secret."
Scout's ears soon slanted slightly as she sighed, "At least you know for a fact that she's alive somewhere out there… But--I guess my luck ran out with Qrow being poisoned…"
The whole group noticed the expression on Scout's face when she said this. She had the look of guilt in her face and eyes, and they looked at her with worry. "Scout…" Rosario said, "There's no way you could've known he had the poison in the first place."
"We all didn't know about it until the last second." Nora said to her.
"But I should've known." Scout said to them, "... I was born into a tribe of thieves and murderers. I would've been just like them if my father hadn't found me. Instead of using my gifts to take advantage of people, I used them to help others. I almost let someone die on my watch--I couldn't do anything for Melody, and I couldn't even whip up an antidote for Qrow. I'm supposed to be not only a Huntress but a Healer, and they're meant to be prepared for anything…"
The group looked at her still with concern as Scout's ears went down. They couldn't imagine how hard it was on her; to have the weight of someone else's life on your shoulders. They could tell it had taken a toll on her, mentally and emotionally speaking. They could tell that she was blaming herself for what could've happened, what could've been, if Mistral's patrol hadn't found them in time.. They all could see it in her face, despite everything turning out alright in the end, she still couldn't help but feel guilty.
Finally, Cristal let out a sigh as she said, "Listen Scout… We may not know exactly how it feels what your going through… And… I think it's safe to say that we know what it's like to doubt yourself, and feel like you've let someone down. It's awful to feel that way, but you know something… Mistakes are always bound to happen. I should know, myself and dad made plenty of them. But the benefit from making them--Is you can learn from them."
"Even so…" Scout said, "Even so, I should've come more prepared. I should've had at least some pain medication for Qrow at least."
"Scout…" Rosario said, putting her hand on her shoulder, "... You can't just see into the future and know what's going to happen. I know you won't let this happen the next time a problem like this comes our way, because the next time you'll be prepared."
"But what if I'm not?" The Fox Fanus asked, "What if it happens again, and I'm not able to help you?"
"Than you'll just do what doctors and healers do best." Ren said with a smile, "... You'll improvise."
"Hey, I was going to say that!" Rosario said to Ren.
Cristal, Nora, Ren and Rosario couldn't help but laugh and Scout started to laugh only after a few moments. Soon after they stopped laughing and they all heaved out a sigh.
"Well--To be honest, we're all still kids learning everything." Cristal said, "I'm still trying my best to learn my magic--To learn where it came from and what I'm meant to do with it. Maybe--whatever we find from the Headmaster, might help with that, maybe he won't have the answers who knows. But I'm willing to try and learn what I can. We should all do the same going forward."
Ren only smiled with this, "I couldn't have put it better myself."
"... I guess so." Scout said with a smile of her own.
Nora soon held up a candy bar as she opened it, "Here's to finding what we're looking for!"
The group quickly followed suit as they held their candy high in the air after opening their wrappings.
"CHEERS!" They all said before they each took a bite from their own sets of candy bars.
***
-Mistral Hospital-
Shortly after arriving in Mistral both of them had been admitted to hospital, due to what they had both endured. Roman received proper treatment after having opened it at least twice during their fight with the Nuckelavee, so he had to get the proper stitches, but needed to stay in the hospital until his wound had fully healed.
As for Melody, Ruby had explained to the doctors that she had been hit in the head hard and was put into some sort of shock. When they checked on her, they had told Ruby and the others that the impact she had endured should've killed her, but they were all surprised when the doctor had told them she had only had a mild concussion.
They couldn't help but wonder, if it had anything to do with the Creature they had seen Melody turn into. Though they wouldn't know for sure until they asked.
Ruby had never seen the hospital so packed in the waiting room; occasionally at times she would visit the hospital with Melody to see Qrow when he barely made it on one of his missions, and even to see her mom before she passed away, though she had never seen so many people in one place.
Most of the people looked like they were family or friends or even lovers waiting to hear something from whoever had been hospitalized. Ruby couldn't imagine what they were going through, as she watched some of the people that were waiting in tears, but she had hoped whoever it was they were waiting for were alright.
Ruby, along with Jaune, had approached the front desk with a couple of bags in the hands of Ruby and Neo, and got the room numbers that they needed. The room numbers both Melody and Roman's room.
Ruby and Jaune made their way to the room which had been on the third floor; luckily they had been staying in the same room. They made their way down the hall though it seemed like the hall was getting longer at least in Jaune's perspective anyway.
Ruby noticed how tense Jaune was, "... You okay?" She asked.
"I'm just a little nervous about what Melody might say…" Jaune said, "I don't even know if she's still mad after what I said."
"You can't still think that after everything we've been through."
"... I can't help it." He said, "It's all I've been thinking about for the past couple of days. I want to apologize to her for sure, but… I just don't know what she'll say."
"It'll be okay Jaune." Ruby reassured him with a smile, "She'll listen to whatever you have to say. She always listens."
"How do you know that?"
"Because I grew up with her, remember? She always listens to whatever anyone has to say, and I'll bet you anything she'll make an exception for you too."
"You really think so?"
"... Of course I do."
They had gotten to room 385 where Roman and Melody were, and the three of them entered without a second thought. Though they were all a bit surprised when they only found Roman sitting in the room by the window with the chair provided wearing a plain white short sleeved shirt and long pants and a pair of slippers. Roman noticed that they entered the room.
"Hey there. It's nice of you guys to finally see you drop by." Roman said.
"Hi Roman--" Ruby said, "--How are you feeling?"
"Better than I was two days ago." Roman replied, patting his side gently, "Doctors here really worked wonders. They told me, with plenty of rest in the next couple of days I'll be out of here."
"That's good." Jaune said, "At least we don't have to worry now."
Ruby looked around the room a bit worriedly when she didn't see her cousin anywhere.
"Where's Melody?" Ruby asked Roman.
Roman didn't say anything but pointed to his left over where a balcony was, and they saw Melody out their, sitting in a chair with her feet on the table and wearing a robe gray robe and had bandages wrapped around her skull; she had on the same kind of white shirt and pants that Roman did and she appeared to be writing in a book and had her back turned, not even realizing that they were in the room.
"She woke up awhile ago, Red." He explained, "Doctor explained that her concussion wasn't anything too serious, and wouldn't worry about any brain damage. But just to be on the safe side, they're going to perform some tests and an MRI later in the afternoon."
"... Did… She say anything to you?" Jaune asked, a bit hesitantly.
"Well, after the Doctor left I tried to make conversation, but she said she wanted some time to herself. She's been out there writing ever since." Roman replied, before turning over to Ruby, "But… I think she needs someone she's more comfortable with to talk to. You know, considering what happened…"
Ruby looked over to Melody her face, looking concerned. She let out a sigh, "I'll go and talk to her." Ruby said, "I'll be right back."
"Take all the time you need." Roman said.
"We'll just be in here waiting." Jaune said.
Ruby approached the door and was hesitant to open it; she took a deep breath and reached for the handle, turning it. She slid the door open slightly not wanting to startle her as she continued writing.
Ruby took a closer look one the paper and saw that it was musical notes. Ruby shut the door behind her, as quietly as possible. "Is that a new song your writing?" Ruby asked, making Melody flinched slightly.
Melody turned and her expression brightened slightly when she saw her. She put the book down on the chair as she stood up, "Ruby." She said as she hugged her and Ruby hugged her back, "It's so good to see you."
"It's great to see you too." Ruby said, as they both broke out of the hug, "How are you?"
"About as good as can be expected." Melody replied, "It doesn't help that I have a slight ache in my head, but other than that everything checks out."
"I heard from Roman, what the doctor said." Ruby had said, "I'm glad to hear that nothing's wrong."
"Me too, who knows, they might let me out of here earlier than expected." Her cousin said with a smile. Though the smile disappeared when she asked, "Is my dad okay?"
Ruby nodded, "Uncle Qrow is going to be fine. He's resting over where we're going to be staying."
Ruby saw her sigh with relief, "Thank God, I was so worried." She said, almost tearing up, "I thought I was going to lose him."
"You know how he is. He's too stubborn to let something like poison stop him." Ruby said with a smile, "Reminds me of a certain someone I know." Melody and Ruby both exchanged a giggle at this, though it wasn't long till they heard rustling in the bag Ruby was carrying. "Oh whoops, I almost forgot." Ruby said, putting the bag down, "I bought a friend with me to see you."
Melody raised an eyebrow, but saw a familiar little white fox pop out of the bag, with his ears perking up. "Frosty!" Melody said, bending down to pick him up. Frosty jumped in her hands slightly and immediately started to lick her cheek when she brought him close to her, "Aw, I'm happy to see you too buddy!"
"I know they don't usually allow animals in hospitals, but… Frosty really wanted to see you. He wouldn't stop whining after they bought you here when we landed." Ruby said.
"Well I appreciate you taking care of him Ruby. Sorry Frosty for making you worry about me." Melody said, as she felt Frosty rest on her shoulder. The minute Melody looked into the eyes of her cousin, and noticed a certain look on her face that had her concerned. "Ruby?" Melody asked, "... What is it?"
"... Why…?" Was all Ruby asked.
Melody looked at her with confusion, "Huh?"
"... We all saw what you turned into when we were fighting the Grimm after we thought of it…" Ruby said, stopping herself for a moment before continuing, "… When you snapped at Jaune I get why you looked so scared… I just want to know, why? Why couldn't you just tell us? Tell me about it?"
Melody turned away from Ruby and didn't say anything, and Frosty whimpered slightly worried about his friend. Melody sat down in her seat, as she buried her face in her hands. Ruby kneeled in front of her, "Please Melody. I want to know why. Why would you keep something like this from your own friends, your own family? After everything we've gone through, I don't want any more secrets between any of us… So please… I need you to tell me--Why keep something like that a secret?"
Melody turned to her slightly before replying, "... To be honest… I thought it would be obvious…"
Ruby looked to her cousin with confusion, "... Huh? Obvious? What do you mean?"
"... You saw the Creature for yourself." Melody said, "You saw how it came after you and the others, after you tried to stop it to get through to me."
Ruby's eyes widened slightly, "... You mean you actually saw what was happening? Even after you turned into--"
"The Creature?" Melody finished before replying, "... Unfortunately I do. It's cruel, but I do remember every single thing, and most of the things the Creature does whenever it's out is horrible and gruesome. Trust me, you haven't seen it at its worst, and I hope you don't."
Ruby took a seat beside her and placed her hand over hers, "Please Melody… You have to tell me more."
Melody took a deep breath and allowed Frosty to go onto her lap. Finally after brief moments of hesitation she looked over to Ruby, "... Do you remember when we were kids when I first got my semblance?"
"Of course I do." Ruby replied, "You would always use your semblance to beat us in tag or hide and seek."
Melody chuckled slightly at this and sat back in her seat, "... Yeah well, those were the days."
Ruby laughed a little too at the memories, "I remember how you used to scare me and Yang. You were always able to find really good hiding places in almost any animal, and how fast you were able to catch us when we played tag… But than, you just kind of stopped using them. I remember, Yang and I asked you or Maize why you stopped, you guys never gave an answer."
"... That's because by then, I started to hate the semblance I got." Melody said to Ruby, surprising her, "And I still do. You didn't know this Ruby, but at a time I thought having a semblance was a gift to the lucky few, and most of them are in a way. You can do amazing things with them, whether it would be handy in tricky situations, or help you or friends in battle, or even hide yourself in plain sight with them. So when I got my shape-shifting semblance… Boy was I happy as a kid would be on Christmas. I could be anything I could think of. I could take to the skies and soar above the clouds, run as fast as any animal on the planet, climb great heights to even the tallest trees, or even breathe underwater. But… That all changed the day when we went to the fair."
Ruby recalled that memory from when they were children. She remembered that day when they all smiled and laughed, while on their rides or played their games. But after that day something had changed. She figured she was still young to understand, but even so, she felt something had changed in Melody.
She remembered not seeing Melody or Maize until a few days later when they were in school. She noticed how timid Melody had gotten and she wasn't as cheerful. And whenever someone brought up her semblance, she had been quick to change the conversation to something else.
"Melody--" Ruby said as she placed her hand on top of her own, "---Tell me what happened."
Melody turned away but she ended up answering, "After… You got hurt, the Creature made itself known. Before I knew what was happening, I was sinking my teeth into the poor kid's neck, and my nails-- its claws went deep within his stomach. I would've killed him hadn't not been for his protective mother. I was terrified with what I did, so horrified in fact I just ended up running without even saying a word to him or his parents."
Ruby silently gasped at this, and prevented herself from thinking of the image, the scenario which Melody had described. She nore Yang had no idea how much pain she had to endure just from that alone. Neither of them could remember what happened, but they remembered how upset their parents had been, not to mention how scared every kid had been.
It must've been traumatic for her, is what Ruby thought.
Melody soon continued, "The Creature has this crazy need for blood, it doesn't just lust for it, it craves for it. With every chance it gets whenever it comes out, it'll attack the nearest living thing in sight, and it won't care who it hurts and the lives it ruins. It won't even matter if it's my own friends and family. It especially likes to attack anyone close to me… When it does start to show up, it makes me aggressive and violent, to the point where I could kill someone, even before it fully takes control…"
Ruby noticed Melody's hand start to shake, and soon felt something wet hit her hand. Ruby soon realised that Melody had started to cry; Frosty noticed this too, and started to lick her fingers in an attempt to comfort her. Melody continued but this time she was struggling to get her words out.
"... Do you wanna know… The worst part about what the Creature does to me…?" Melody asked, though she didn't expect Ruby to answer as she had just stayed silent, "... The blood lust it feels… It's craving for its endless hunger… It makes me want it too… It makes me think that I should kill those I see… It makes me want to get rid of people that hurt you and Yang… It makes me think that those that insult me, that piss me off, that say hurtful things about our family… It makes me think that they deserve to be killed… And I've always hated myself for letting that temptation get to me…"
Ruby felt Melody's hand tighten around hers as she buried her face in her other hand, in an attempt to stop her tears, though she had no such luck in trying. They just kept falling from her eyes, and rolled down her cheeks before finally hitting her hand and the fabric of her shirt.
Ruby looked at her cousin with worry as she sniffled and sobbed. Never before had she seen her cousin like this, just right at this moment her tough girl persona just seemed to fly right out the window.
Seeing her this way, it was hard on Ruby and even Melody herself in general.
The tough girl who would always stand up for others, that would defend anyone who was being picked on, who would go with the flow with everything, even smile in situations when battling with Grimm, now looked, broken apart. All because of a Creature that she had no control over. Ruby put her arms around Melody and pulled her close as she cried.
"... I was scared to tell you both about it…" Melody said through her sobs, "... I was scared to tell Uncle Tai… I didn't just leave to find Yang's mom… I left because I thought I would be protecting you all… I didn't want it to one day come out, and than have it hurt one of you or worse… I would never forgive myself if I had just let it--"
Melody just stopped herself, not wanting to say anything more, as Ruby patted her on the back as her way to comfort her, and they both sat like this for awhile, with Melody now leaning into Ruby's embrace and Frosty just nuzzled into her stomach in a comforting way. After what had seemed like hours Melody had finally broken the silence, "... I heard what you said…"
"Huh?" Ruby said, a little confused.
"... When the Creature was out… When I was trapped in my own head…" Melody said, "... I heard you… There's something I want to know… I just want this one question answered…"
"Y--yeah sure…" Ruby said with a bit of hesitation.
Melody turned her head slightly to look at the red hooded girl, slowly getting herself out of Ruby's arms, "... When you said you weren't scared of me… That I wasn't a monster like the Creature… Did you… Did you really mean it…?"
Ruby looked a bit surprised to hear that, but soon replied, "Of course I did. I know who you are, Melody, and I know that your not the monster that you think you are. Like I told you, you're amazing like Yang is, and I can tell that you take a lot after Uncle Qrow. The Creature is not you and it never will be, and I'll always love you no matter what."
Melody couldn't help but smile and her tears were not of sadness but of joy. She pulled Ruby back into the hug, surprising her, but Ruby had ultimately returned it shortly after she snapped back into reality.
"... You have no idea…" Melody said, through her tears, "... No idea how much what you said means to me Ruby…"
"Oh don't worry…" Ruby said, patting her on the back, "... I think I have a pretty good idea…"
Ruby and her pushed out of the hug; Melody was finally able to wipe away her tears, from her face, and Frosty climbed back up onto her shoulder licking her cheek.
"Frosty's not scared of you either." Ruby said with a small smile, "He knows that your not the Creature too."
"Go figure." Melody said scratching the back of Frosty's ear, and Frosty leaned in for her touch.
"... Just out of curiosity--" Ruby said, getting her attention before asking, "... Are you going to be able to tell the others? Like you know, explain the Creature to them?"
Melody nodded her head in reply, "... When I'm out of this hospital I'll tell them. After what they've seen and after what we've been through, they have a right to know… But before all that… Jaune didn't come with you by any chance?"
"He's just inside--" Ruby replied, "--Why?"
Melody didn't say anything, instead she just stood up taking her notebook with her, and went back into the room with Ruby following behind her. When they stepped inside, Jaune seemed to have tensed up when he saw Melody as she placed her notebook on the table nearby. She stepped forward just standing in front of Jaune, and all he did was gulp; for a moment he turned over to Roman, Neo, and Ruby who was now standing beside them.
"Go on, Arky." Roman said as he motioned him to talk, "Say what you want to say."
"R-Right." Jaune stammered before he took a deep breath. He soon looked towards Melody, before he spoke up, "Listen Melody… About what I said to you before, when your dad told us about why all of this is happening in the first place… I know I upset you with what I said, and I just want to say that--"
"I'm sorry." Melody suddenly said cutting him off.
"Huh?" Jaune, even Ruby and Roman said out of confusion.
Melody continued as she rubbed her elbow, "... I'm sorry for the way I acted, and for hitting you on the head. It's just… What you said about me, about not going back home after what happened to Beacon to see if Ruby and Yang were alright… I didn't want to listen because most of what you said was true and just denied it. Trust me, I was concerned after I saw the news, before the CCT was destroyed, and I wanted to go back to see them but… To be honest, I've been away from home for two whole years. I was scared… Of what Yang, my uncle and at the time Ruby… I was scared of what they would think of me. All I did to keep in touch with them was either texts or video chats, and I didn't even attempt to make a home visit. I was scared that they would hate me, and resent for leaving the way I did, but I did what I thought was the right thing… Don't get me wrong, I didn't like what you said about me… But that's no excuse for the way I acted… So… I'm sorry Jaune, and I hope you find in your heart to forgive me."
There was silence in the room they were standing in, and Jaune took in the words that Melody had said. Although--
"No." Jaune said, making Melody look up, "... If anything I'm the one who should be sorry for what I said to you… The night that Qrow told us everything, I was just so angry. I… We lost a lot when Beacon fell, including someone very dear to us. I didn't realize that Pyrrha had gone through so much with the responsibility she chose to take… And I blamed it on him because I thought it was his fault about what happened to her, that he forced her to become a Maiden. But you were right about what you said. No one ever said she was forced to do it, and she was given a choice… I realize now, that no one was at fault for what happened to her, and maybe I was just angry at myself and felt the need to take it out on Qrow, and even you too. Your personal life and your dad's is none of my business, and I should've been more careful of what I said about him and you. I didn't mean to say all those things, I didn't know what I was thinking… So, I'm really sorry Melody… And I hope you can forgive me."
Melody's eyes widened slightly by what Jaune said, and she couldn't help but chuckle which had caught him off guard. "Guess we both have something to be sorry about." Melody said with a smile, before holding her hand out to him, "...So, yeah, I'm sorry and I forgive you… We can still be friends, right?"
Jaune looked to Melody and smiled at her, before taking her hand and shaking it, "I wouldn't have it any other way."
"Welp." Roman said, "I'm glad that problem solved itself."
"Yeah--" Ruby said with a smile, "--I guess everything turned out alright in the end afterall." It hadn't been long before Ruby remembered something.
"Oh, right, I almost forgot! Again!" She said before she rummaged through her skirt pocket.
Roman gave a quizzical look in her direction. It wasn't long before she took out a familiar lighter and held it to him.
"Here." Ruby said, "You can have your lighter back. It's your good luck charm after all, and I already have one of my own."
Roman looked to Ruby before looking at his lighter that laid in the palm of her hand. He reached out to take the lighter, though… Ruby was surprised as ever as instead of taking the lighter, he placed his hand over her fingers, and let them curl back around the small lighter. This only left Ruby perplexed at this and she looked up to him.
"Change of plans Red." Roman said to her, patting her hand, "I'll let you hold onto it a little longer. You can give it back to me, when this is all over."
"You…" Ruby said, "... You would really trust me to hold onto this?"
"Look…" Roman said, adjusting his seat, "... It took me a long while to get used to traveling with you and your friends, and… It was pretty difficult I'll admit. But, like you said… We're friends now. And if I can trust you with my life, than I sure as hell can trust you with my lighter, at least, now that we're used to one another. Sides--I'm getting off that habit anyway."
Ruby looked even more shocked, but she eventually smiled and looked to the lighter before giving Roman a hug, once again surprising him. Roman let out a sigh as he went to return the hug, "Geez Red. You're just secretly a hugger, aren't you?" He said jokingly.
"I thought you'd be used to it by now." Ruby replied, making Roman chuckle a bit.
***
Ruby and Jaune soon returned to their place they called home for now, after the visiting hours were over in the hospital. They had said their goodbyes and "get well" to Roman and Melody and headed back to the others to tell them the good news about Roman and Melody's condition.
Of course when they told them, they were relieved to hear that they were going to be alright and decided to make plans to go and visit them later in the day just to talk to them.
Rosario, Neo, Scout and Cristal herself decided to sightsee in Mistral and offered RNJR to come with them. Though they respectfully denied as they decided to stick around the apartment for a bit longer before going out.
Ruby stepped into her room, where her Uncle had rested, with Frosty walking by her side and Senka flying into the room (Since he couldn't exactly go out with Cristal and she had told him to stay with Ruby), and he immediately made himself comfortable on Ruby's bed; her pillow specifically, and instantly went to sleep once he was comfy.
Ruby couldn't help but smile as she shook her head to the little Griffon, and paid him no mind. She went by her uncle's bedside, and brushed his hair from his face just to let him know that she had come back. He only seemed to have responded by turning over laying on his side, and it seemed to have given Ruby some reassurance as she sighed with relief.
She went over to the desk that was provided in the room, and Frosty jumped off her shoulder and sat on the desk; she placed Roman's lighter on the side and it sat just next to the little white fox. Ruby picked up the pen provided and brought a single notepad closer to her.
With a sigh, she started to write a letter.
***
"Hey sis.
I hope my letters have been reaching you, dad and Maize.
Handwritten stuff's never been super reliable, but I guess it's all we've got these days.
Anyway--In case you haven't been getting them, I want to say--I'm sorry for leaving the way I did.
I know you told me it was a reckless idea, and after everything I've been through… I can definitely say you were right.
It's been hard--On all of us.
And I'm not just talking about the monsters we fought out here."
***
-Atlas, Docking Bay-
After the girls had snuck out of the mansion, they quickly and quietly made their way to the docking bay that had been nearby, and they were lucky enough to find a single pilot just getting ready to leave. In an effort to get to where they needed to go, Weiss had struck a deal with the lone pilot. She had handed an Atlesian pilot a handful of lien, and almost without hesitation the pilot took it from her hand. He counted the lien that he had given her, before turning to her.
"So?" Weiss asked, "Do we have a deal?"
The pilot looked to the line he had in his hand before heaving a sigh, "...Okay. You guys can hide in the cargo hold. I'll take you as far as I can, but if we get caught, you're on your own. Understand?"
Weiss simply nodded to the pilot in understanding and the pilot went to prepare for take off. She approached the twins who had been patiently waiting for their eldest sister. "We're going to be staying in the cargo hold for now, so you're gonna have to stay quiet." She said, "Think you both can do that?"
"As long as we get to see Winter and get far from Atlas, than we'll endure whatever we have to go through." Nilla said.
"Don't worry Weiss, we'll be as quiet as mice." Van reassured her.
She soon looked over to Nava who had been staring out at the view as the cargo ships flew by.
"Nava--" She called out as it had caused her to flinch, "--Are you ready?"
"Yeah…" Nava replied as she looked back at the view, "... I thought I would just look at the clouds here--One last time before we go."
Weiss's look softened as she went over to her side, "... Are you sure you want to do this?"
Nava nodded without any hesitation, "Yes. I'm sure." The look in her eyes changed as it wasn't something Weiss hadn't seen before, "Lets go and see Winter."
Weiss nodded before she and sister entered the ship hand in hand.
***
"Every step we made took us further and further away from the things we knew.
And every morning we woke up, if just over the next hill would be something good, or something terrible.
It's scary---Not knowing what's going to happen next. And the things we do know now--Just how bad it can get--It almost makes it all worse."
***
-Menagerie-
In the office which had belonged to Ghira, both siblings Blake and Shae stood before his desk, looking for something. They rummaged through the various things on their father's desk before they had found what they were looking for.
"I found it!" Shae said as she took out a chest from underneath Ghira's desk.
She placed the chest on the desk as Blake went to her side.
"Care to do the honors?" Shae asked.
"With pleasure." She replied with a smile.
She reached for the locks and turned the keys that were provided on the chest. She had let it yawn open and in the chest it was revealed to be stuff from the White Fang, including two flags, a spiral notebook and a single book. She picked up the flag looking at its current logo, while Kobi picked up that of its previous logo.
Instead of the black and red colors that the world had become familiar with, the flag was of a blue and white color. The claw marks just over its head were replaced with a circle that had been around the head, and it looked more peaceful than that of the current.
"... So… We're really going to do this…?" Shae asked.
"Yes…No sense in backing out now…" Blake said, "... Are you scared of going through with it?"
"Well, considering how I pissed off our mentor, and turned traitor--" Shae said, "-- I won't lie, I'm terrified of facing them."
"Come on, don't chicken out on us scaredy cat!" They heard Sun say who had sat in one of the chairs provided in a relaxed position.
"Your really going to pull that one on me Monkey Boy?" Shae said.
Sun chuckled slightly before saying, "Hey, if it makes you feel better I'm scared too, but just be glad that we're going to do the right thing."
Blake smiled at this, and looked at the beaded bracelet around her hand, thinking back to a familiar face for a moment.
"Yes." She said, before looking back up to Sun with a smile holding onto her wrist that had that bracelet, "That we are."
***
"You once told me that bad things just happen. You were angry when you said it, and I didn't want to listen
But you were right.
Bad things do happen, all the time, everyday.
Which is why I'm out here to do whatever I can, whenever I can, and hopefully do some good.
We all lost something, and I've seen what that loss can do to people."
***
"APPROACHING CITY OF MISTRAL"
Oscar sat in the dining car area with his bag sitting beside him, and barely no one was seen in the area he was in. He was looking at a poster that was of the city's academy Haven.
On the poster it read "Haven Academy: Be A Hero". He let out a sigh as once again thought about everything he was told, and what exactly he had gotten himself into. Though it was too late to turn back now; he had already made up his mind on what he wanted to do, and there was no stopping him.
Destiny, Sage and Coby who all sat at the table with Oscar were happily playing cards and chatting as to pass the time. Though it hadn't been long until, Coby could see a certain view.
"Guys look!" He said as his eyes lit up, "There it is!"
The four of them looked outside of the window as they were in awe of the view. They saw beautiful scenery and of the mountains, trees and architecture and they were both hypnotized by it.
"Wow…" Destiny said in awe.
"I know right?" Coby said, "I never get tired of this scenery!"
"Just wait until we give you the tour!" Sage said, "You're gonna love it!"
"Whoa hey--" Oscar said, "--Don't forget what we're here for."
"Hey--People can do two things at once dude." Sage argued with a pout.
Destiny soon looked to the window as she couldn't help but think to her family and friends… And even her dream. She was worried about them and worried about what she would find, but as she looked at Pyrrha's bracelet her worries and fears seemed to have left her. She knew exactly who they were as they were able to fend for themselves.
"Daddy… Cristal… Everyone…" She thought as she looked out the window again, "... I'll find you… And we'll be together again. I promise…"
***
"But if we gave up everytime we lost, then we'd never be able to move forward.
We'd never have a chance to see what beautiful things the future has waiting for us.
We'd never have the strength to change; whether it's with ourselves or the world around us. We'd never have the strength to change; whether it's ourselves, or the world around us.
And we'd never be there for other people who might one day be lost without us.
This is what we're training for, Yang.
To become Huntresses, to be the ones to stand up and do something about all the bad in the world."
***
-Somewhere in Remnant-
Elise found herself awakening in the same place she had always been. Tyrian had been sound asleep by her side as she could feel his arm around her waist. She didn't mind being with him, though it had been the first time she had performed such an--Act with him.
She didn't mind it, though it was something she didn't expect.
Honestly--It didn't seem like he expected to do such a thing either.
What a strange man, is what she thought, like she did many times before.
She sat herself up as most of her hair had fallen over her shoulders, before taking the time to sit up before fixing herself up as she gathered her clothing. She had gotten on her shirt lastly before she went to remove herself from the bed and exit the room.
It would've been that way if she hadn't felt a tail go around her waist before pulling back; her back soon met the chest of the scarred man.
Elise remained calm as she placed her hands over his own.
"Did I wake you…?" She asked softly.
Tyrian said nothing as she could feel him tighten his grip on her slightly. Almost as if she read his mind, she spoke again, "Sorry… I thought it would be better if I returned to my own room." Elise explained, "I was under the impression that you wanted to be alone--After what mother said to you."
"... Stay…" She heard him say, "... Stay here with me"
Elise's gaze softened having heard the tone of voice he gave. "Alright…" She said, brushing her thumb across his hand.
She made herself as comfortable as she could, as she turned over to him; she caressed his cheek, brushing some of his hair from his face after returning underneath the covers with him.
"You're all mine now my Eclipse…" He said, returning the gesture, "... No one else will have you but me…"
She felt his lips on her cheek before he hugged her again; his face had been buried in her neck before she returned the hug. "I am yours--" She said as she kissed his head, she formed a small smile, "--And you are mine. My dear scorpion..."
***
In a familiar room lit only by candles, six people stood around the room surrounded by now disintegrating Grimm; these people being Cinder, Emerald, Mercury, and Salem.
Salem watched from the sidelines as Cinder used her fires to kill the Grimm that had gone after her as Cinder herself looked to be training.
With the snap of Cinder's fingers Emerald had stepped forward; placing her fingers to her head and her semblance had activated. there appeared the familiar Silver Eyed girl, Ruby Rose, though it is but a hallucination, through the eyes of Cinder and them.
The hallucination of Ruby Rose reached out to Cinder, as if she was begging for mercy, so that she could live. In response all Cinder did was glare at the young girl. Her eye glowed as a stream of fire emerged from her right hand, burning the hallucination of Ruby and she cried out in pain and agony as if she were the real thing.
Salem only smiled as she had been pleased by the progress Cinder had been making… In such a short amount of time.
***
"Believe me when I say…
I know it can feel impossible, like every single day is a struggle against some unstoppable monster that we can never hope to beat.
...But we have to try.
If not for us, than for the people we've already lo--
--Then for the people that are still standing with us.
I miss you so much… I miss Weiss, Blake and Destiny too…
But I think you'd all be happy to know… I think Destiny, wherever she is, would be happy to know this as well, that we made it to Mistral. We all did. We even ran into Uncle Qrow along the way. And guess who else?
We found our cousin Melody all the way out here. When we found her, she wasn't alone, she was with others, her own team.
With Cristal, they call themselves team CRMS. It's a pretty good name, don't you think?
Turns out--She wants to find out why the Fall of Beacon happened just like us, so they decided to travel with us.
We wouldn't have made as far as we did without them. I think you would like the two new friends she's made. "
***
Ruby had stopped writing for a moment as she felt tears trail down her face and fall onto the paper, smudging it a little and she couldn't help but sniffle. She wiped away her tears, and tried to get herself to stop by rubbing her eyes though she couldn't. They just kept coming like the rain. She soon felt a tingling sensation, and was soon quick to realize that it was Frosty who had started lick her affectionately as a way to comfort her. Ruby smiled a little and started to pet Frosty, as a sign of gratitude to the little fox and he leaned in for the touch.
Her attention was drawn to a groan from the man who slept in the same room as her. She stood up from the chair and quickly went over to Qrow's side with Frosty once again hopping onto her shoulder. Kneeling beside him, she waited for any kind of response as she placed her hand on his shoulder. Hearing a slight cough, she saw his eyes finally open, seeing the familiar shade of red and she felt a wave of relief wash over her.
He smiled at her, "... Hey… Aren't I normally the one saving you…?"
Ruby laughed at this as tears of happiness were seen flowing down her cheek. She wiped away her tears and smiled back at Qrow, before she had put her arms around him as the tears continued to fall.
Qrow didn't hesitate as he put his arm around his niece, and they both stayed like this for sometime, both of them not wanting to let the other go. Frosty climbed off of Ruby's shoulder and jumped to the other bed where Senka was asleep; he curled himself up in the middle of the bed, and shut his eyes, going to sleep as well.
***
"Qrow is going to take us to see the headmaster of Haven Academy. Professor Lionheart.
And--He told us a lot of things that you're going to want to hear. Things that I can't trust can make it to you in this letter.
But… Maybe… If you join us, they can tell you themselves. With Beacon gone they'll need dad at Signal more than ever, and I know you need to focus on yourself before I can expect you to come out here with me.
But it sure would be great to get team RWBY back together again."
***
-Somewhere in Anima-
Yang had made her decision on where she wanted to go and Maize herself had been more then happy to tag along. If going out into the world meant finding her sister and her family, then she was willing to take the steps needed to see them again.
Hours had passed since the boat had arrived in Anima, and both Yang and Maize were prepared for the path ahead. Yang had been wearing a brand new outfit with her hair undone; she had been driving along the dirted path. Maize had sat behind her as she had an outfit that made her look more like a Huntress.
She had worn a dark brown halter top with a set of dark gray pants and black boots. The jacket she wore over her outfit had been a shade of a scarlet red color as her short hair had been tied into a small ponytail. On her hands she wore a set of gloves; though her left covered her entire hand while her right had revealed her index and thumb. Her right arm had a black arm sleeve as a brown buckle had been wrapped around it.
They could feel the wind through their hair as Yang had on her sunglasses while Maize wore a set of goggles.
"Fork road!" Maize called out.
Yang turned down her engine a little, and the bike slowly stopped in front of a pair of signs. One sign had read Mistral and the other read Kuroyuri; though the sign had a red X over it and had also read Bandits. Angel jumped off from the bike and took a closer look at the signs.
"Looks like we're not too far now." Maize said as she adjusted her goggles.
Yang sighed as she smiled, "They're in SO much trouble when we find them."
Maize chuckled, "We're gonna lecture them to death."
Yang gave a laugh before she started up the engine on her bike again, "Hang on tight cuz!"
Maize nodded before she hooked her arms back around her waist, as Yang started up the bike once more; they went down on the path they chose.
***
"Until next time, your loving sister, Ruby Rose.
Oh! P.S, I'll be sure to give you the address to where we're going to be staying in Mistral! I'd love to hear back from you and dad! And I can't wait to fill you in on whatever is going to happen next!
Now that we finally made it across Anima, I really think things are finally gonna start going our way."
***
-Haven Academy; Headmaster's Office-
The office of the headmaster was large and spacious, having its own bookcase and even a ladder to reach the books on the higher shelves. Papers were stacked loosely on a mahogany desk nearby and a golden plaque sat on the desk, which had a carved engraving; it had read, Professor Lionheart.
On a coffee table nearby sat a tea set colored in gray and green; three cups were sitting at the table, one had been empty.
The cup didn't stay empty for long as Lionheart poured the tea into the small cup before handing it to someone.
"Thank you for your generosity, professor."
The person looked to be that of a man, with a black mustache and a pair of green eyes and his skin was light brown. He wore a gray overcoat with yellow linings and a yellow dress shirt with a black necktie, and had an undercoat with a shade of indian red and had yellow buttons and fingerless gloves to match.
Arthur Watts--Only smiled at the man across from the table as he put his feet up.
"Salem always did say you were--Quite hospitable."