The Remnant Crisis (Lancer RPG/RWBY)

Ruby hummed as their flight took longer than she thought, with most of RWBY and JNPR passed out or curled up in their own corners of the dropship. Blake was curled up next to Yang with her head on the brawler’s lap, while Weiss was resting her head on the blonde’s shoulder. As for Jaune, he was buried under a pile of blankets and pillows Nora brought along, where the rest of his team treated him as a living space heater. That left Ruby alone, with Qrow passed out next to her and Oscar up front with Maria.

Thankfully, it wasn’t alcohol that made Qrow pass out this time. Instead, it was exhaustion from the excitement in Argus. With nothing left to do but count the bolts in the airship, she decided to see how Maria and Oscar were doing. Slowly and quietly, she made her way towards the front without waking anyone up. Now that was a surprise, considering her usual lack of grace outside combat.

Shutting the cockpit door behind her, Ruby took a seat.

“So how’s everything?”

Maria let out a weary chuckle. “Well, I think we’re not alone out here.”

“You think, or you know?” Oscar yawned, right before he earned a playful thwack upside the back of his head.

“Oh hush, I didn’t get this far in life by ignoring the signs.” The ex huntress then tapped the scanner on the pilot console, which showed a trio of strange dots circling around their own ship. They were colored white, the same color as civilian and unmarked airships. It looked like they were circling them, coming closer with every pass before pulling back.

Almost like predators.

“They’ve been tailing us for the last half hour, and they aren’t responding to any of my hails.” Maria grumbled, though she always glanced at the scanner to see if the dots made any moves. As exhaustion began to creep into Ruby’s limbs, she found herself sitting down and trying in vain to keep awake. But as her eyes slowly closed, the airship’s radio crackled to life.

“Voodoo Actual, this is Viper on station.” His voice was slightly distorted by the static, but his tone definitely wasn’t friendly. “This is War Hawk Territory, prepare to land and disarm. If you do not comply, we will use deadly force.”

Something large and fast swooped in front of the dropship, being sleek and aerodynamic with two jets of flame erupting out of its back. With impossible grace for a giant of its size, the metallic frame spun around and stared at them with a hellish red optic. Even at the speed the dropship was flying, the strange machine kept ahead of it as two more approached the sides of the vessel. Ruby managed to make out an orange and gray color scheme, along with a black viper painted on its metallic chest.

As if to further enhance its intimidating features, several plates around its chest and shoulders drew back to reveal racks of missiles. The warning tone on the dropship began beeping, which meant that this stranger had a lock on them.

Unsurprisingly, Maria wasn’t having it.

“Oh go suck a lemon youngster, we got business in Atlas and no marauder is going to stop us.” She then activated the dropship’s own weapons, which were much less impressive in Ruby’s opinion.

The man sighed and she could hear something powering up. “Well, they can’t say I didn’t warn them - Voodoo One, Voodoo Two, engage.” Just as they prepared to fire, the dropship lurched suddenly as explosive waves buffeted the outer hull. Maria let out a mad, cackling laughter as the ship began to dive and a stream of curses ran wild over the radio.

“Voodoo One and Two are down, requesting assistance.” An engine’s shriek cut into the mic before Maria simply cut it off, laughing wildly as she dodged missile after missile. Ruby felt her stomach leaping into her throat with every dip and dive, while Oscar merely began praying as another near miss rocked the ship.

It was at this point their elderly pilot decided to stop playing chicken, and start firing back.

With a twirl that would’ve been difficult for even a veteran pilot, Maria whirled around and unleashed a volley of azure bolts at the marauder. A half dozen bolts struck true, though it appeared to have done some surface damage.

Their assailant thoroughly pissed, the machine pulled back and flexed as its chest and thigh plating pulled back to reveal more missiles. A veritable wall of explosive death erupted from the machine, trailing white smoke and fire before surging towards their dropship. Not even Maria’s terrifyingly fast reflexes could save them from all of it, but it managed to save them from the worst of it.

“Oh you son of a-” Maria tried to let out, but was silenced by the sudden landing.

…

Cold.

Crushing.

Ruby forced her eyes open and almost immediately regretted it.

Pinpricks of darkness blurred her vision, disorienting her further. Something slick and warm was currently dripping down the side of her face, falling into her left eye and blinding her for a few moments. A quick check confirmed her worst fears - She was bleeding, and it was bad.

Taking a moment to unbuckle her seatbelt, she wasn’t prepared for the sudden fall. She let out a groan after her ribs smacked against the steel hull, leaving a burning sensation in her chest that would no doubt bruise after a few hours. But as she laid there, writhing and groaning in pain, she remembered that her friends and uncle were asleep in the back of the dropship when they crashed.

Forcing herself to her feet, she was suddenly overcome by nausea that dropped her to her knees. Feeling the sensation of bile rising in her throat, Ruby managed to stumble outside before throwing up on the Atlas tundra…And someone’s boots.

“Aw damn it, I just got these things shined!” A rough voice groaned as he backpedaled to avoid anymore vomit.

Looking up, she didn’t recognize their uniform or their equipment.

They were dressed semi-uniformly in shades of snow white and gray, with bright, orange colored visors and bulky armored suits with vests layered over them. The one currently trying to shake the vomit off his boots had a hawk’s wings painted on his helmet and a drum-fed shotgun in his hands, while another had an ace card strapped to his helmet with an LMG of some sort.

“You’ve been ankle deep in worse, are you really complaining about vomit?” The other asked as he resisted his LMG on his shoulder.

The man only grumbled. “Fuck you Nick, I just got these cleaned and everything!” He whined, while the one known as Nick only shook his head before looking down at Ruby.

“Well, either way, at least someone else is having a shit day.” Nick laughs before pointing the barrel at Ruby’s head. “Alright kid, don’t be a hero, we just want your valuables and any scrap from that junk heap.” He then noticed Crescent Rose holstered on her back, at which point he motioned for her to hand it over. Putting a protective hand over her darling, Ruby tried to stand and put on her scariest face…Only to immediately fall over due to the possible concussion she had.

It wasn’t helped by the sudden loud crash and shaking earth.

Lifting her head up, Ruby saw the armored frame from earlier. Black spots warped a few pieces of steel plating on its chest, and cut the viper insignia in half with a decent blast. Three more frames popped into view, landing roughly on the Atlas tundra. Though, these frames weren’t as heavily armed or as armored as their apparent leader.

“Find the pilot, I want to have a word with her.” Viper (or at least she thought his name was Viper) ordered, taking a step towards Ruby. The frame towered over her, even as it knelt down and grabbed her cloak like she was some disobedient pet being picked up by its scruff. The glowing red optic was harsh as it looked her over, right before dropping her roughly into a nearby snowdrift.

Something in her mind told her to just lay down, close her eyes and let it all fade away. But a defiant part of her mind, something foolish and young and twice as energetic as she was shouted at her. He doesn’t get to just toss you in a snowdrift like you’re trash, you’re a huntress, aren’t you?

Watching as the strangers turned their backs on her, she quietly unfolded Crescent Rose into its sniper form.

Shouldering the rifle with shaking hands, she placed the crosshairs right over that blood red optic. As she squeezed the trigger, something fell from the sky like a strike of lightning - Multiple strikes of lightning that sent the soldiers all scattering for cover. The tundra went silent after the impacts, as if the world itself was stunned into silence by the arrival of these strangers.

“Viper, it’s been a while.” Came a rough, older voice that spoke with the tone of a veteran huntsman. “I thought I told you to never run with the War Hawks again.” The warmth in his voice turned to bitter cold, and while Ruby couldn’t see the stranger, they were intimidating enough that the fingers of Viper’s mech were twitching in fear.

“You know me Devil Dog, I only feel alive in the skies, and the War Hawks are my ticket there.”

The armored walker’s afterburners then roared to life, but not before a series of sharp cracks echoed out into the tundra. Several cables burrowed their way into the machine’s armored exterior, which dragged the titanic mech to the ground long enough for a new challenger to appear.

This frame leapt into battle with the skill of a warrior, a true duelist wielding two curved blades of burning plasma. It was painted a deep shade of desert brown, with gunmetal gray accents and a blazing orange visor. Ruby watched in awe as it severed the prone mech’s right hand, followed by another blow that took off its left arm at the elbow, spraying molten slag in a beautiful golden arc.

Ruby noted out of the corner of her eye that another mech raised its weapon at the newcomer, and despite her shaking hands, she blasted out its optic with a snap shot. The robotic lens shattered and sparked, blinding the machine long enough for a hail of cannon fire to shred it from afar.

Nick and his partner seem to realize what she did, as they immediately focused their weapons on her. Racking the bolt on Crescent Rose, Ruby winced as her head pounded and her vision blurred. She needed to finish this now, before she blacks out. As she drew a rough bead on their center mass, something large stood over her that cowed the both of them into stunned silence.

Whatever it was, it was large, spiky, and enraged.

It let out a metallic sounding shriek as it leaned over her protectively, staring them down with a golden optic that stuck out among the navy blue plating. While she wasn’t thankful for the pressure it put on her skull, she was however grateful that it decided to protect her.

Letting her limbs go limp, Ruby listened as the frantic battle began to dim as her body felt heavy. As the cold began to seep away at her strength, she swore she saw the towering machine lean down to pick her up. It must’ve been a figment of her imagination, or a dream, but what a dream it was…

…

Qrow groaned as he got up, his head pounding more than usual and his left leg felt stiff. Not even his worst hangovers made him feel like this, nor did his worst missions. As his vision cleared, the dropship around him was full of scattered items and people. Ren was looking over an unconscious Nora as Jaune tried to pry the door to the cockpit open with Yang, while Blake and Weiss tried to force open the side doors.

With a shriek of metal on metal, the side door popped off to reveal a battleground outside their dropship.

Massive machines of warfare shot at each other or brutalized each other in close quarters, save for one that was approaching them with a familiar red clad shape in its arms. It was brutal-looking and sharp like a knife, with spikes alongside its arms, legs, knuckles, and even shoulders. But it looked sturdy enough that Qrow bet could withstand a good barrage from Atlesian artillery, though he didn’t want to put that to the test.

For such a large machine, it was surprisingly gentle as it handed the unconscious Ruby to them.

“Stay inside, I’ll deal with this.” The voice sounded feminine, and was surprisingly gentle for someone piloting such a brutal machine. From his spot in the dropship, he could make out three weapons held in its mechanical hands. On its back was a large, broad-bladed, single edged sword that seemed to shimmer between a dark, rusty red and gunmetal gray. Another was a brutal axe with serrated teeth that moved slowly on their own, and the final one was a massive lance with a barbed end.

In short, it looked more like a marauder’s mech than the actual marauders.

Weiss and Blake gently took Ruby from the machine, which then turned to the battlefield as a hellish metallic shriek pierced the air. Qrow spotted a brutal machine dual wielding chain axes that radiated a bright, vibrant orange. It was a deep, dark metallic black with broad stripes of blood red across its front.

It collided with the spiky savior, sending it back into the dropship with a crash.

The dropship rocked violently before settling, and their guardian let out a distorted roar of their own before backhanding the opposing giant with a spiked limb. Armored plating and wiring was dragged out by the blow, which stumbled the berserker long enough for them to draw its blade. With the sword in both hands, it swung downwards with terrifying strength. A crack of peeling thunder echoed through the area as the sword cleaved through armored plate and internal framing, nearly detaching its left arm from the main body.

Then without a moment’s hesitation, they wrenched the blade free before driving their lance through it, pinning it to the ground like a demented dartboard target.

It was at that point two more frames appeared.

The first looked more at home among Atlas’ forces, painted a deep desert brown with gunmetal highlights and a more militaristic look than the sturdy industrial before them. In its hands were two blades burning a radiant orange, dancing and twisting with the wind. Mounted on its chest and arms were a series of cable winches and launchers, which looked rather helpful in getting around.

The next was a towering titan of a machine, even among the others.

Heavy, sloped armor plating wrapped around its limbs, along with what can only be described as a slab of solid steel affixed to its left arm. Held in its hands was a bulky, belt-fed autocannon that roared every time it fired. As for its colors, it was matte black with brown accents with a single red optic. Painted on its chest was a golden skull with two silver swords crossed behind it, which looked like it was laughing.

“Alright you yellow bellied lot!” A brusque, rough voice called out from the titan. “Lay down your arms and you’ll be treated fairly! Keep fightin’ and I’ll sick Hellcat on you!” ‘Hellcat’ as she was now known let out a growl in response, taking a predator’s stance as the remaining marauders looked at each other. It only took a moment for them to make a decision, with only one being on the receiving end of a brutalization from Hellcat. As the prisoners began to disarm, the towering machine began to make its way to the dropship.

It took a knee and rested the butt of his heavy cannon on the snow, and then its chest plating began popping out and unfolding to reveal a tall figure wearing a black armored suit, with a brown ballistic vest worn over it. Their helmet looked similar to a pilot’s helmet, with only a large gold visor instead of a blackened visor. A necklace of spent shell casings and shrapnel hung from their neck, which made a metallic rattle with every step.

The figure dismounted their massive mech with a huff, but they kept themselves steady as they introduced themselves.

“The name’s Henriette Carver, captain of the Scurvy Dogs.” She said as she pulled off her helmet, revealing a woman with bronzed skin and a head of messy ash-brown hair. Her left eye was hidden by a black patch that had three golden studs, along with what looked like a rather gruesome scar. Her right eye however was a warm, welcoming shade of amber gold.

She also had a pair of raccoon ears on her head.

Henriette gave a welcoming smile as she stuck her hand out to Qrow. “Though most folks call me Cyclops, over there’s Jasper, she’s a big softy once you get to know her.” Hellcat, or Jasper as she was known, waved towards them as she circled the prisoners like a guard dog.

“Devil Dog and Smoky are over there, good men,” She then waved off at the tundra, where something shimmered in the distance. “And Nocturne’s somewhere out there, bit odd, but he’s friendly enough.”

Qrow shook her hand, and finally shook off enough of the shock to remember what he wanted to say. “That’s nice and all, but my niece and a few of her friends need medical attention.”

“Of course, we’ll call Nessie and have a dropship as soon as possible.” Henriette answered, though as she went to do so, bolts of fire began to fall from the sky. They were small, far off in the distance and streaking towards Remnant at harrying speeds. The leader of the Scurvy Dogs had a massive grin on her face as larger shapes followed them, which slowed down enough to reveal something in the shape of a ship.

“Looks like the cavalry’s comin’ in.” Henriette chuckled, which told Qrow that this night was about to get a whole lot stranger.

Why couldn’t life be simple?

 

Penny was tired.

The caravan behind her stretched on and on, made up of various vehicles, sleds, and even a few old AP-06 frames were used to carry massive sleds of the young, the old, the wounded, and the dying. This was Penny’s seventh caravan this month, and it wouldn’t be her last. But she wasn’t without some assistance, as Team BRIR had jumped in to help her evacuate more than a few frontier towns.

A man by the name of Bram Thornmane tried to raise some trouble when Team BRIR arrived, only to be cowed into silence by a crowd of desperate, exhausted people. Even then, he still kept trying to work the crowd in his favor, but someone had heard enough and socked him in the jaw.

It was quiet after that.

Once that town was evacuated, they began making their way to the next town - Only to find it burnt down and crawling with Grimm and panicked civilians. Four more towns followed, and it wasn’t long before they finally encountered the enemy’s full force on the tundra.

At first, it looked like the outline of an AP-290 - A Paladin. But as it drew closer and more shapes joined the first, it became quite clear that they weren’t Atlas.

“They never quit,” Roane laughed breathlessly. “They blow up villages, burn down homes, and they never quit.”

“We destroyed one back in Eiswald,” Ruda spoke up. “They aren’t invincible.”

The fiery huntress glared daggers at her teammate. “We destroyed one, and we nearly died for it.” She then gestured to the seven shapes in the distance. “If we fight, we’re dead, if we run, we’re dead.”

As much as Penny hated to say it, their odds were slim. It took a full charge of Floating Array’s laser to destroy just one of the Marauder’s mech frames. That was back when she was at full capacity, but now? Now she could barely guide the blades without serious strain, and even then - There’d be more marauders, there’d be more caravans to guide.

The huntress and guardian of Mantle prepared herself for battle as one of the frames stepped forward, towering over its allies and boasting a much larger, heavier frame. It was painted the same burnt orange as the other marauders, but this one was decorated with various images of various monsters. Snarling wolves and other beasts graced the frame’s front, along with what looked to be a stylized depiction of a wolf’s snarling jaws around the mech’s optic.

“Alright people, we can either do this the easy way or the hard way.” The giant frame then sent the bolt of their massive shotgun home, causing a spine-tingling chunk to echo into the tundra.

It was loud enough to make several people flinch, and it wasn’t the end of their demands. “All we want is your valuables, guns, ammo, beer, those fancy gems…”

“And all you have to do is play nice!” Another hollered through their speakers, which set off a chain of mocking laughter through the marauders. Penny felt her hands ball into fists at their words, was this all a game to them? Did the suffering they inflict mean nothing? Just as she was about to charge up a blast, she felt a comforting hand rest on her shoulder.

Bianca sighed as Penny’s rage dimmed. “We tried, and sometimes that’s all anyone can ask.” She was about to say something else, at least until something was heard in the wind. It was a howl, a haunting shriek that pierced through the tundra’s winds and seemed to put fear into the heart of the marauders.

Their optics swung wildly as something appeared in the snowy fog, its red optics being the only thing seen as it prowled around them. It was quickly joined by the roar of something igniting, with two burning blades glowing a hellish orange. The two shapes circled the pirates, dragging their attention from the caravan to the rapidly growing issue around them. As the marauders gathered closer together, a voice cut through the night, rough and full of quiet fury.

“You lot think this is a game, don’t ye?” The voice asked. “Think the whole galaxy’s yer damn plaything.”

Metallic eyes searched the fog left and right, trying in vain to find the speaker as she continued to hurl accusations at their feet.

“Used to be a lot like you ya know, cocksure, proud, even thought myself invincible just because I had one o’ these frames.”

One of the marauders broke away and tried to escape, only to walk into what seemed to be a minefield. A series of small blasts rang out into the night, shredding the machine’s legs as it tried to run. It was at that point one of the hunters let loose a distorted howl before falling upon the fleeing marauder with axe, sword, and lance that quickly rendered the marauder into steel confetti.

“But for every prancin’ fool who thinks he’s invincible, they all end up paying’ the piper.”

As she said that, a thunderous boom rang out in the distance. Almost an instant later, one of the smaller frames simply exploded outwards as a massive tracer round punched through its core. Both Team BRIR and Penny could only watch in awe as these strangers made short work of the marauders, quite literally tearing them apart. An autocannon thundered through the night and twin blades of plasma carved through alloy plating with ease, and they had front row seats.

When the last marauder fell silent, cheers erupted through the caravan.

Tears of joy, excitement, and hope echoed out into the night as their savior - A towering frame painted in shades of black and brown - made their way towards the trail of survivors. The cheers began to die down as it became quite clear how tall this machine was, as Penny barely came up to its knee. Still, she stood tall as the machine knelt down.

“Who’s in charge here?” The titan asked, her optic scanning both Penny and Team BRIR with interest. Ruda and Roane took a step back as Bianca gently nudged Penny forward, giving her a soft smile as she finally found the confidence to march towards the machine.

“I believe that would be us, and on the behalf of everyone here…Thank you.”

The mech nodded before speaking once more, though this time they toned down their volume. “Don’t thank me yet, we’re not out of the cold just yet.” Then as if on cue, or someone somewhere had a sense of dramatic timing, the sounds of heavy afterburners roared and drew nearer. Penny turned to the source of the noise and saw what could only be described as a massive cargo hauler, on par with Atlas’ own airships.

It had heavy, sloped plating that gave it a shape reminiscent of a turtle shell, with olive drab and black paint. On its side was the image of a sea serpent of some kind, baring its teeth with a toothy smile as the ship’s name came into view.

S.S. Lucky Seven

“Is…Is there enough space for everyone?” Penny asked, hopeful that the answer would be yes.

“We could fit about half, the rest…Well, they won’t have to wait too long for transport.” She said as another transport pulled into view, this one being sharper, sleeker, with a more militaristic design. Without a second to waste, Penny turned towards the titan and tried her best to hug its leg. This elicited a chuckle from its pilot, who went on comms to talk with the ship’s pilot about a few new passengers.

…

The interior of the Lucky Seven was more than enough to hold a decent number of their caravan, and another ship had arrived to help with the rest. With that weight off her shoulders, Penny felt relieved and even more exhausted than ever before. But she got to meet the people who protected her caravan, and they were rather interesting people.

The first was Henriette Carver.

“Oi, thought I told you to get some rest.” She put a cybernetic hand on Penny’s shoulder, surprising her. “The hell are you wanderin’ around for?”

“I wanted to thank your team in person,” Penny gestured to the people who were currently making themselves comfortable in their cargo bay. “At least, I hoped I could.” Henriette’s harsh gaze softened somewhat, and she nodded in an understanding fashion.

“Of course, come along now, Jasper’s been dyin’ to know your armorer.”

Penny’s eyes widened for a moment until she remembered it was a figure of speech.

Following the mercenary, the industrial gray of the Lucky Seven’s cargo bay gave way to a more tranquil, smooth white of the ship’s medical wing. Almost immediately, they heard the rough voice of Hellcat arguing with Devil Dog.

“It’s just a flesh wound!”

“It needs stitches.”

“Oh come on, it was just a blown out panel!”

Rounding a corner, Penny finally got to see the members of the Scurvy Dogs outside their mechanical frames.

Jasper was sitting in a hallway chair, her signature blue bomber jacket hanging over her right shoulder as her left was covered in deep red cuts and a rather dark bruise. Her auburn hair was short and messy, with a pair of cat ears resting on top. The left one sported a notch, almost as if a bullet had passed through it at one point. She was also rather strong looking, boasting an athletic frame despite only reaching Penny’s ears.

Sitting next to her was James Lawson - Devil Dog.

She had heard plenty of words about him from the ship’s crew - Bounty hunter, lancer, father of two, happily married to his copilot Smoky. He was an older gentleman with dark, tanned skin and a rather impressive goatee that was starting to gray. Beyond that, Lawson carried himself with an air of veterancy and authority, where most followed Henriette due to her status as leader, others seemed to defer to his authority due to his skill and seniority.

He also had a nice cowboy hat and accompanying duster.

As for the fourth and final member…

Nocturne was a lithe, tall figure that moved with an ethereal amount of grace, wearing a sleek armored suit and accompanying helmet with eight blue optics. Every now and then, their armor would shift color to match the environment - Much like their mech. Penny still wasn’t sure what their voice sounded like or who they were under the helmet, but she did appreciate their quiet nature.

“Oh quit your bellyachin’ Jasper, just let Lawson do his work.” Henriette smiled as she took a seat next to the pilot of Brutal Cunning. “An’ besides, better than losin’ an arm don’t you think?” She said as she flexed the prosthetic limb.

Jasper’s ears drooped as she playfully growled at her captain. “Then how about you try- Gah motherfuck that stings!” She hissed as Lawson applied some sort of antiseptic to her wounded shoulder. In a surprising display of self control, she didn’t sock the man in his jaw for that.

“Oh hush,” The older pilot said in a fatherly tone. “You’re worse than Morgan for crying out loud.”

“How is Morgan by the way?” Jasper asked through clenched teeth. “Last I heard he finally got that engineering job he wanted.” The conversation then directed itself towards family, with Lawson happily recalling his sons’ achievements as he tended to his colleague’s shoulder. But as the two talked, Penny found herself feeling a bit awkward among them. At first she thought the Scurvy Dogs were sort of like the Ace Operatives, only to shatter those expectations.

They were professional, but lax with dress code, sometimes sassed each other, and yet were more than comfortable talking about their personal lives.

Penny still didn’t know much about the Ace Ops personally.

But as she was about to thank them, someone familiar took notice of her.

“Penny?”

Turning around, Penny was surprised to see Yang aboard this vessel. She was wearing a dark orange tank top and baggy sweatpants more suited for lazing about than walking around, and in place of her right arm was a yellow and black cybernetic. In an instant, Penny had darted over and wrapped her in a hug.

“Salutations Yang!” Her excitement quickly died down as she searched for any sign of Ruby, even picking Yang up to see if the rose was hiding behind her older sister.

As for the brawler, she was still trying to process Penny’s presence.

“How- Why- We saw you- Ruby saw you…”

“My father managed to repair me,” She said as if this was a common thing. “After Amity Arena returned to Atlas, he brought me back.” While Yang still had a myriad of questions, she quickly realized who Penny really wanted to see more than anyone else. Motioning for the Atlesian Huntress to follow, she hoped Ruby was prepared for who came to visit her.

…

Everything hurts.

Ruby groaned as she tried to open her eyes, only to be blinded by a bright, luminescent light. She tried to raise an arm to block it, only to find her limbs weighed almost as much as Crescent Rose. Someone took notice of her attempts to move, and gently tucked her back into a bed of warm blankets and a soft pillow.

“Easy there Sugar, you took quite a hit back there, had to give you the good stuff.”

Mumbling out a quiet ‘thanks’, Ruby’s eyes slowly adjusted to the room. The walls were painted a pale gray, and she was buried up to her neck in comfortable blankets. Her left arm was free from the blankets and connected to a machine next to her bed, though it wasn’t long before someone disconnected most of them - Save for the IV Drip next to her bed. Craning her neck to see her doctor, she saw an older woman with graying black hair tied into a bun. She was wearing some sort of bomber’s jacket, the kind her sister had usually stored away for winter.

The older woman gave a warm smile as Ruby’s eyes adjusted. “Well now, you’re certainly tougher than some Sugar, most would be having trouble deciphering left from orange in your condition.” The woman seemed to laugh at her own joke before giving Ruby a comforting pat on the shoulder, which made her feel somewhat better.

“Name’s Nessie Greene, most folks call me Nessie.” She said as she went about her business in the room, occasionally stopping to see if Ruby was comfortable.

Eventually, after however long it’s been, Ruby felt some feeling return to her limbs and her mind cleared up somewhat. It was definitely obvious she was still reeling from the blow to her skull and whatever anesthetic Doc Greene gave her, so any combat or messing around with Crescent Rose was out of the question for the near future. But once she proved coherent enough, Nessie was more than happy to allow for some visitors, one at a time of course.

Yang was the first, having been checked out long before the other members of their misfit group.

“Feeling any better?”

Ruby chuckled at the question, though stopped as her head throbbed in protest. “I feel better than the other guys at least,” She yawned, her head a mess of thoughts and half-awake ideas. “Did we win?”

“Yeah, though it’s more like we got saved - One of them did tell me to thank you for that quick shot.” The young huntress quietly pumped her fist at that fact, though the sudden movement did hurt her arm. As the two talked, it became quite clear that there was something Yang was hiding. Her eyes would dart to the room’s door on occasion, and sometimes it looked like she was internally struggling with something. Leaning up in bed, Ruby ignored the soreness in her ribs and came out with it.

“So, what’s the big surprise?”

“Hm?”

The younger huntress pointed at her sister and then the door. “You’ve been looking at the door off and on,” A devilish look came over her face. “Did something bad happen?” Yang shook her head, and Ruby could see the smallest of smiles growing on her face.

“Nope, just an old friend coming to say hi.” Ruby racked her head for any friends she knew from Atlas, besides Weiss…Maybe Ciel, she didn’t know anyone from Atlas. Yang made her way to the door and opened it to reveal who it was…

…And it made her heart stop for a moment.

Penny.

For a second, Ruby’s mind flashed back to the Vytal Festival. She saw Penny dismembered, the light fading from her eyes. But it cleared away as Penny smiled, her expression full of warmth, excitement, and a third feeling that made Ruby’s cheeks burn. It gave her time to…Well, take it all in. Her hair was longer, and she stood taller than she ever did. Despite the dust and ash that clung to her, there was a light in her eyes that refused to die out.

“Salutations Ruby.” She said as she took a seat, and it became clear as crystal.

It was her.

Despite some minor protests from her skull and ribs, Ruby sat up in bed and hugged Penny as close as she could. She closed her eyes and leaned into Penny’s presence, resting her head on her friend’s shoulder. Her friend returned the embrace, and it was the warmest, most comfortable hug she ever had.

“I missed you.”

“I missed you as well.”

As the two reunited, Yang decided to give them time to catch up - Who knows when they’d have the time after today, especially with the situation in Atlas.