Brunswick Farms. Finally, a place to rest and get away from this snow. It was a little eerie how it was abandoned, but at this point, Ruby figured it was better than nothing.
They entered the farmhouse, and were greeted with silence. The inside looked just as abandoned as the outside, with dusty old furniture, broken, boarded up windows, no sense of light anywhere.Ā
āWell, itās not pretty, but itāll do for now.ā Qrow commented, taking another swig of his flask.
āAt least weāre finally out of that snow.ā said Blake, rubbing her arms to keep warm despite wearing a coat.
āYouāre telling me!ā Maria agreed, already making her way down a hallway across from the entrance.
āWhere are you going?ā Yang asked.
Maria looked back and answered, āTo find myself a bath.ā and left of her own accord.
āWe should all try and find rooms.ā Qrow suggested.Ā āItās gonna be a long night.ā
Everyone broke off in search to find their rooms. A farmhouse this big had to have a lot. Thankfully, they were right, and they each managed to find their own to sleep in. After a nice, hot shower, Ruby was grateful to finally be able to get some rest. Though, she was sad their werenāt any bunk-beds this time.
She was also upset she couldnāt sleep. So much happened in such a short amount of time, it was hard to push it all away. Ozpin and Salem, the Gods, immortality and reincarnation, so much was shown at once the moment Ruby spoke Jinnās name.
The relic stood on a nightstand beside Rubyās bed, emitting a soft blue glow like its own personal night-light. Ruby kept her eyes on it, watching it, wondering exactly what the final question she should ask be.
Salem was immortal, there was no beating her. Ozpin lied to them with no plan of attack. The most important questions she had were already answered. What else was there?
A knock on the door broke her thoughts,Ā āRuby?ā Yangās voice called from behind.
āCome in!ā Ruby answered, shifting over to sit on the edge of her bed.
The door opened, and in walked the rest of her team, closing the door behind them. Yang, Weiss and Blake stood around Ruby, eyeing the relic.
āHave you thought about what to ask it next?ā Weiss asked.
Ruby took a moment,Ā āNo.ā and hung her head low.
āWell, if you ask me,ā Yang spoke, crossing her arms,Ā āI think we should it what to do with Ozpin.ā
Ruby shot her head to protest,Ā āYang...ā
āRuby, he lied to us! He signed us up in a war against Salem, and she canāt even be killed!ā
Though they both didnāt like it, Blake and Weiss had to agree.Ā
āYou saw what Jinn showed us.ā Blake added.Ā āAnd you heard what Ozpin said.ā
Ruby hung her head again. She understood her teamās feelings, she felt them too. She was angry, and confused, and sad at the same time. How can they fight someone who canāt be beaten? How can they trust someone who constantly lied to them? Ugh, it was all so frustrating!
Weiss mustāve known what she was feeling, as she sat next to Ruby on her bedside, and wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulder.
āI know itās not easy to comprehend, Ruby, so maybe you can ask the relic a question that doesnāt...ā she glared at Yang,Ā ā...deal with immortals and Gods.ā
Yang could only look at her boots.
āWhat kind of question should we ask it?ā Blake wondered, kneeling down to eye-level with the relic.
āIāve got one.ā Uncle Qrowās voice took their attention. Of course, he was drunk again. Pushing himself off the doorframe, Qrow stumbled and slurred, āHow about you ask it why I spent my life... following a pathological liar. Or, how about why that liar... lied to me? OR...ā
āQROW!ā Ruby exclaimed, standing up from her bed. Qrow stopped in his tracks. The small leader sighed,Ā āI know youāre all angry. I am, too! But this is something I need to think about! So, please, let me think.ā
Every went silent. Qrow sighed,Ā āDo whatever you think is best, kiddo.ā
Ruby turned her attention to the relic, taking it in her hands. After a deep breathe, she spoke the name,Ā āJinn.ā
From her hands, the relic floated, stopping at the center of the room. From the blue smoke, the blue beauty Jinn appeared, just as coy as before.Ā āMy, this is a surprise! I havenāt been summoned this before! So tell me, what knowledge do you seek?ā
Ruby took a moment to think. If she couldnāt ask about Ozpin or Salem anymore, than maybe... āJinn, you can answer any question.ā
āCorrect, little one. As long as itās not about the future.ā Jinn crossed her arms.
Rubyās hand hovered above her chest, her eyes locked on her cape that was neatly folded on the nightstand behind her, next to where the relic was previously. āBut you can show the past.ā she brought her attention back to Jinn.
āThan...ā it was now, or never.Ā āCan... you tell me... what happened to my Mom?ā
The mood in the room skidded and crashed. Everyone was shocked, Yang, Weiss, Blake. Qrowās flask fell from his hands, crashing to the floor with a clink and a thud.Ā āRuby...ā was all he could say, before everything went white.
āRuby...?ā he called out into the void.Ā āRuby!ā but nothing was there, until a wall of blue smoke ascended around him. After a moment of clarity, Qrow finally began to see where he was. He recognized the wooden structure, he recognized the kitchen, he recognized the furniture and the pictures...
And he recognized the white hood.Ā āNo...ā
There, standing at the center of the living room with Tai, was Summer Rose.
āMom?ā Yang said in a state of shock. It had been so long since sheād seen her and Dad together.
āDo you really have to go?ā Tai asked in concern.
āIām sorry, Tai, but Ozpin needs me on this mission, and you and Qrow need to look after our daughters.ā
Qrow was frozen. Summer was there, right there. He instinctively went to reach out for her, but pulled back remembering, even in his drunken state, he couldnāt touch her.
Tai sighed, lowering his head.Ā āI donāt like it. I should be there with you.ā
Summer placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, and smiled.Ā āI know, honey. But youāre needed here. Besides, Yang needs to make sure you and Qrow are kept in line.ā
They both shared a good laugh. Qrow actually forgot what her laugh sounded like. It nearly brought tears to his eyes.
When they calmed down, Tai only put his hands around her shoulders and said, āJust... be safe, okay?ā
Summer smiled,Ā āI promise.ā and they both embraced. They wouldāve stayed in each otherās arms forever, had Yang not ran in.
āMommy! Mommy!ā the little blonde in the orange t-shirt and pigtails shouted in excitement, a little Ruby behind her looking nervous. Yang was still, taken aback by how young she and her sister looked. But other than that,Ā āI remember this day.ā
Breaking away from Tai and crouching to look at her daughters, Summer asked,Ā āWhat is it, sweetie?ā
āRuby wants to show you something!ā
Summerās eyes lit up, and her attention was on her littlest one,Ā āWhat is it, Ruby?ā
Yangās heart strings were suddenly being tugged,Ā āNo...ā she didnāt want to see it again.
The little Ruby, in her own red t-shirt and black skirt, held a piece of paper in her hands. She looked nervous, as if she was afraid her Mom wouldnāt like it.
āItās okay, Ruby. You can show me.ā Summer assured her, giving Ruby a smile neither Qrow nor Yang had seen in so long.
With a whimper, Ruby held out the piece of paper to her Mom. Summer accepted it, turning it over to see what it had. When she saw, she gasped. It was a drawing of her, and Ruby... together, with the words,Ā āMy Heroā written in crayon.Ā
To anyone else, it wouldāve looked crude and sloppy, bu to Summer, it was a masterpiece. One that brought tears to the Super Momās silver eyes.
āOh, Ruby... itās beautiful. I love it.ā she brought her daughter in for a hug.
āCan-can I be like you, Mommy?ā little Rubyās voice tugged at Qrow and Yangās heart even more, like they were being ripped out of their chests.
āOf course you can, my little petal. And when I get back, Iāll make you all the cookies you want!ā
Ruby gasped, her little eyes lighting up with joy, āReally?!ā
Summer separated from her daughter,Ā āYes, sweetie. I promise!ā she then looked to Yang.Ā āAnd you, Yang...ā she placed a gentle hand on her daughterās head.Ā
Yang didnāt want to hear it again. āPlease, donāt say it, Mom.ā
āPromise me youāll look after your little sister, for all your days. Remember, youāre my sunny little dragon, and Ruby is your treasure.ā
āDonāt worry, Mommy, Iāll be the strongest dragon ever!ā little Yang exclaimed, pumping her arms up like a champion.
Those words brought Yang to her knees.
āYes, you will!ā Summer giggled, and brought her beloved, laughing children in for a group hug.
Another cloud of blue engulfed the world, and Ruby found herself in a field. Only... the field was black, littered with... Grimm!Ā
Ruby suddenly jumped at the sound of a beowulfās roar, turning around to see it hovering over her, standing on its hind legs ready to strike. Whether on instinct or habit, Ruby went to reach for her scythe, but stopped when she saw a white blur zip past her, cutting through the beowulf like a knife through butter.
The Grimm fell in half, joining the pile, and standing tall, her own scythe in hand, was Summer Rose. Qrow watched his former teammate walk past with such confidence, it was almost scary. So many lay dead at her feet, and she barely had a scratch on her.
An army of Grimm stood before her. Beowulves, Ursaās, Nevermoreās in the air, boarbatuskās. It didnāt matter, in the end. As they charged towards the Silver-Eyed Huntress, Summer continued her stride, not a shot of fear evident on her face. She didnāt care how many there were, they would all fall.
To Qrow, watching Summer fight again was like reliving the past. It was as if he was there with her again, as teammates, as partners. The way she sliced off an Ursaās head, jumped up into the air and manage to cut off a Nevermoreās wing so it crashed into a group of three beowulveās, and spun on her back like a dance move to use her scythe to slice apart any Grimm that dared to get close...Ā
For Yang, watching Summer only reminded her of Ruby. The way she moved, the way she fought, the way she smirked in the face of danger. Watching her Mother use her own scythe as a spear to chuck into two Beowulveās and an Ursa, and somehow manage to dodge every oncoming strike around her like a cat, and then use that Grimm spear to flip herself over to smash it into a charging boarbatusk like a Grimm hammer...
It was like watching a ghost.
A number of Grimm still remained, and Summer found herself swarmed. With no other option left, she decided to bring out the big guns. Flashing her eyes open, just as the Grimm were ready to pounce on her, Summerās silver eyes flowed, and a flash of light engulfed the area around her. When the light dissipated, all that remained was black dust, floating in the air, forgotten. Summer confidently walked through the darkness, stopping directly, coincidentally... in front of Ruby.
For Ruby... watching Summer... was the hardest thing to do. This was her Mother? This was Super Mom? A Silver-Eyed Warrior? Feelings of pride, of sadness, or joy, and sorrow, they all fought inside Ruby the same way Summer fought off the Grimm.
Summer phased through Ruby, the smaller Huntress never taking her eyes off her Mother, as she confidently made her way down the trail. A puff of smoke appeared in the distance, and in its place, was a massive cave.
Not a second later, the blue smoke took Ruby inside the cave, following her Mother. No source of light shined aside from the entrance, but the deeper they went, the darker it got. After a long trek inside, something rumbled. Ruby, startled, jumped when she heard a deep, menacing growl from the darkness.
That was when the eyes opened. Ruby gasped, watching those all-too familiar yellow eyes dart up high into the air, followed by a menacing claw just barely missing Summer as it stomped its way into the ground. From the darkness, Ruby could finally see what awaited her Mother...
The beast let out a menacing roar, while Summer readied her scythe, and her eyes started to glow. Ruby watched the whole thing as if it were in slow-motion, her Mother and the dragon charging, head-to-head, in a battle of light and dark, when her Momās Silver Eyes bathed the cave with light.
It took a second for the light to dissipate, but once it did, Ruby was left confused. She was... back in her room? Her team and Uncle Qrow with her?
āWh... what happened?ā
Jinn answered,Ā āI showed you what happened.ā
While Ruby was still overcoming her confusion, Yang was the first to speak, tears still running down her face, āWhat do you mean?! That canāt be it! You have to tell us what happened!ā
Weiss and Blake were too shell-shocked to say anything. Qrow was left staring at the floor, still trying to come to grips with what he just saw.
Jinn answered,Ā āI canāt show you what happened, because thatās all there was to show, and since youāve already asked your third and final question, Iām afraid I have to leave now.ā
And just like, Jinn disappeared into the relic, an angry Yang darting for her,Ā āNO! YOU CANāT JUST LEAVE US LIKE THAT! SHOW US WHAT HAPPENED!ā
āYang...?ā Blake went to reach for her partner, now on one knee in a crying fit.
āShow us... please...ā was all Yang could say.
Weiss turned her attention to Ruby, who hadnāt moved since they returned. She looked so... confused, broken. The red-headed Huntress had this look on her face Weiss couldnāt figure out.
āRuby?ā she carefully stepped towards her partner, just as Blake did for Yang.Ā āRuby? Are you okay?ā
Rubyās thousand yard stare scared Weiss. Where there was once the happy-go-lucky leader and friend she knew, now there was this... broken, speechless little girl, who couldnāt even form words, as tears ran down her face, and suddenly, the walls Ruby had kept up for so long, suddenly broke down, and she collapsed into Weissā arms.
Weiss could do nothing but hold her partner, as close as she could. Blake could only do the same. Qrow could only stand there, watching his nieces break down in front of him, unable to do anything, but pick up his flask... and take another swig.