One more significant incident that happened before they left the next day was that Ruby finally decided to approach Mercury about the Silver Eyes.
He was not happy when she did so.
"I don't want to talk about it," he said. "Why don't you go swing your scythe at some monsters?"
Ruby wasn't sure why Mercury annoyed her so much. She was normally pretty tolerant of people's rudeness--maybe it was just that he struck her as so different from both her and her mom. How could they have something in common like this?
"Listen, you jerk!" she said, "I didn't want to do this either. But I got a prophecy from some lady who I know better than to ignore, and Shine and Wally told me the same thing. I'm trying to be smart here. If I don't help you, we could die. So why don't you stop being selfish for, like, two minutes of your life and at least hear me out!"
Mercury, who was reading a comic at the time, sat up more to give her a surprised look.
Emerald, who was spying on this from around a bookcase, choked back a laugh.
"Hey, calm down, chipmunk," Mercury said. "Whatever the prophet told you, I'm sure it's not that serious."
"You wouldn't know--you weren't there." Ruby crossed her arms. "Besides, aren't you at all curious about it? You have Silver Eyes!" She gestured widely. "That's a very rare thing. You and I might be the only ones in the whole world right now."
"That's a claim to fame I never wanted," Mercury said. "I didn't even know I had these till a few days ago. I wish I could take them back."
"But they're a gift!" Ruby cried. "You can protect people with them."
"Oh, and you always see it that way?" Mercury shot back. "With that creep Callows hunting you, and Salem turning people into Hounds? Like what happened to your mom."
Emerald wanted to strangle him.
Ruby almost saw red instead of silver.
But she choked down her anger.
After a moment of considering it, she reflected that Mercury might have some legitimate reason to think this way, knowing about the Hound... Not like she hadn't thought the same thing.
Why did hearing it from him make her so mad? [I find that hearing my own fears echoed by someone else makes me angry also.]
After a long pause, she said more evenly, "I have thought about that, sometimes. But I've also been reminded that I have a gift, for better or worse, that can protect my friends and family, at least from Grimm. I can't just get rid of it--at least, it isn't worth it to. And if there was a time when having Silver Eyes would have saved someone, and I couldn't, because I had given them up, I'd never forgive myself. You can try not to use them, if you don't want to, but I'm not sure you can always do that...but we're going to go into the land of Grimm, and this time, you won't be protected by working for Salem. You don't think you might, at some point, want to protect someone and need those Eyes? We have no idea what kind of Grimm will be waiting for us."
She got to him a little more there.
Mercury sighed. "I do have some idea. This plan sucks."
"But you're coming."
"Well, I don't have much of a choice."
"You do have a choice!" Ruby said. "There has to be some reason you're choosing to go."
"Why is this so important?" Mercury said.
"Because I can't figure out how you possibly can have Silver Eyes!" Ruby burst out, finally provoked into speaking her mind. "They activate because of love, hope, wanting to protect someone. And you've only ever wanted to hurt the people I know, and you don't act like you care. But somehow you activated them. Because of Emerald."
"For the last time, that's not it," Mercury said.
Ruby gave him the saltiest look of disbelief you could imagine, especially from such a large-eyed, innocent-looking girl.
It was actually pretty funny, but Mercury didn't want to show it.
"Then what?" Ruby said. "I think I would know."
"You're an expert on it, huh?"
"Well...no," Ruby said. "But I've been working on it for weeks now, trying to think of people I care about, and the good memories usually make it easier, but sometimes it doesn't seem to matter. The first time, I wasn't...I was just thinking of how horrible it was that someone died. So maybe it's not that by-the-book, but...well, I think it's like Miss Likstar says--not all negative emotions are actually bad. So maybe the fear of losing someone isn't always a negative emotion. Maybe that's why it activates the Eyes too."
"I don't like how these things have to work by some wishy washy thing like that," Mercury said. "Seems like they force you to be something you don't want to be."
"You never thought about it?" Ruby said. "Maybe not being a jerk all the time?"
"Not really. I'm comfortable the way I am," Mercury said. "And anyway this dumb power won't change anything."
"I don't understand you," Ruby said.
"Did you always want to have them?" Mercury said. "You didn't seem that focused on it before."
Ruby hesitated. "For a while I didn't know what to think about it," she said. "Maria finally brought it up again, with the Apathy. That's when I realized that it was probably just the Silver Eyes that saved us there. I got more interested after that. Isn't that what happened to you?"
Pause.
"They seem like a hassle," Mercury said.
"Are you just worried that you won't be any good at it?" Ruby said, frowning 🙁. "Is that it?"
Well...she wasn't entirely wrong.
"I don't want to be good at it," Mercury said. "Like I want to start caring if people die. That's stupid. People are going to die anyway."
"You--" Ruby began, then stopped. Then she sighed. "Well...if that's true, why didn't you kill Emerald?"
"Huh?"
"We all know what really happened." Ruby sounded pretty flat for her. "Even if she didn't tell us. It was the only thing that made sense. You were on assignment to kill her, right? Since she switched sides. And Hazel too."
"Actually, no, Salem wanted Hazel alive." Mercury made the mistake of basically admitting she was right. "I think she wanted to torture him for deserting first. Emerald wasn't that high on her list, since she mostly just worked for Cinder anyway."
Ruby tilted her head. "And you didn't go through with it. Then you saved her on the train, right?"
"Look, I can't explain what happened."
"What were you thinking?"
"Nothing!"
Silence.
"You're not the least bit curious?" Ruby said. "Come on...I'll leave you be if you just answer me."
"Oh, really? Is that a promise?"
"I can try," Ruby said. "I just want to know."
"Why?"
"Because I can't understand how you did it!" Ruby lost her temper again. "It makes no sense. You have nothing in common with me or my mom! My mom was really kind and brave and noble, and I've always tried to be those things, and you've never cared about any of that! I don't know how you did it. But if there's something that I'm missing, I have to know. For me too, so I can get better! I have a lot of people I want to protect."
She stopped abruptly. Oops...she wasn't supposed to lose it like that.
Mercury was staring at her strangely.
Then, with a shrug like it annoyed him, he put the comic down, then stood up and walked a few paces around. Ruby watched him warily like he might attack her.
But he just started pretending to peruse the books.
Emerald stepped back to make sure he didn't see her.
"I don't really know," he said in a bored tone. "You're right. I'm not at all like that. All I really remember thinking is that Emerald didn't really deserve it. I guess by then, I figured out that Salem really was going to destroy everything, and it was smarter to jump ship. I just didn't have the guts to do it myself. Looking at it that way, who was I to kill someone over it? You kill people over what they do to you or for a point. But not for doing the thing that you should have been smart enough to do to begin with-- like stay out of it."
Ruby didn't understand. That still didn't sound right to her.
"So she just didn't deserve it, and that was your whole reason?" she said. "It wasn't personal?"
"Personal? Personal is overrated."
"But when you used your Eyes, why?" Ruby said.
"I dunno, I guess since I've come this far keeping her out of trouble, I didn't want to see some Grimm just tear someone to pieces in front of me." Mercury paused, and that was harder to say than he thought it would be. "Again, it didn't seem right. I wouldn't read any deep meaning into it. But..."
"But you like her, right?" Ruby said. "You're friends."
"The closest I've had to a friend, I suppose." Mercury seemed uncomfortable. "I don't need friends."
"Huh," Ruby said.
"What?" Mercury glanced up.
"Nothing, you just reminded me of something I said to Yang when I went to Beacon," Ruby said. "I said I didn't need friends to grow--I drink milk."
Mercury actually laughed. "That's not a bad line."
"Well, Yang thought I was being silly," Ruby said. "And then I made friends with Weiss and Jaune and Blake. Still working on Weiss and Blake."
Mercury didn't want to find that funny either, but he kind of did.
"Come to think of it, friends weren't always my priority either," Ruby said. "I just...realized that I liked having them more. I guess I did grow. And you...well, clearly you don't care, but maybe you realized that you changed a little because you had a friend."
"That seems dumb."
"But you're here," Ruby said. "Finally doing the right thing. Even if you don't want to be. Doesn't that count for something?"
"Why should it?"
"Because things should mean something," Ruby said. "What's your big problem with it anyway? It's just being a normal person."
"I've never been a normal person," Mercury said. "You don't grow up the way I did and turn out normal."
"Why?" Ruby said. "Because you didn't have parents?"
"I had a parent." Mercury glared at her. "He hated me. Beat me every day, you know, the kind of stuff that twits like you don't understand."
Ruby frowned. "I didn't know... But what about your mom?"
"I have no idea who my mom was," Mercury scoffed. "For all I know she was no one. Definitely no one who wanted to be around my dad or me. And I don't really care. That stuff is a load of crap."
"It sounds awful. I'm sorry that happened to you."
"I don't need your pity," Mercury said. "I got strong on my own. Even without my Semblance."
"Even without what?" Ruby said.
"That's right, my father took mine," Mercury said. "Never got it back. Even when I killed the b-----d. I actually thought it might happen then, but it didn't."
"You killed him?" Ruby's eyes were bigger than before.
"Yeah, I did," Mercury said. "And I'm not sorry. That's the real world, kid."
Ruby backed up a little.
"On purpose?"
"Who cares?" Mercury said. "I'd had enough. He would have killed me anyway. Didn't like that I was stronger than him."
Ruby didn't know what to say now. But she shook her head. "We are very different."
Mercury didn't know why that kind of made him feel worse.
"Told ya," he said flatly, sitting back down, like he didn't care.
Emerald sighed to herself.
"You're right," Ruby said finally. "I don't know anything about what you've been through. Maybe I was much, much luckier than I thought. I guess...I could see why you'd hate me and not want these powers, after going through something like that. Honestly, I've had nightmares about what Salem could do to me since I found out about that Hound."
Mercury looked up.
"But if I just give up, she wins," Ruby said. "I don't know what to think about what you did to your dad. I don't know if he deserved it or if it's horrible. But somewhere, you must still have some capacity to care about someone, even after at all that. So maybe there's hope. I mean, you got this far somehow. And...you're just gonna let hate run the rest of your life? You just want to stay that way? A monster?"
"Who said I cared?"
"I dunno," Ruby said. "I'm not that good at this people thing, but you sure seem angry for someone who doesn't care."
Mercury was struck speechless for one moment.
"I'm just trying to help you," Ruby said. "And I don't even want to! Geez, with what I just heard, I can't understand why this happened at all! But somehow it did. And I'm willing to try to put my personal feelings aside because I want everyone to survive! I wish you would quit acting like a moron and think about what you could lose. You might only have one friend--maybe two, counting Hazel--but they're both going with us, and you might want to hang onto them, so you know what? Just think about it, you idiot!"
She left the room in a huff.
Mercury stared after her and then he kicked over a chair.
"Stupid, d---, s----y, powers." He threw out a string of cuss words.
Emerald leaned on a shelf and sighed. Mercury was so stubborn. Just couldn't admit he cared about anyone other than himself.
Not that she blamed him after what his father did. Anyone's head would be messed up after that. Maybe being alone hadn't been so bad.
Then again, she'd still be alone if not for him and Hazel both helping her. She just wished she could return the favor.
[Sad that Emerald doesn't see that she's already been doing that.]
* * *
Ruby told Shine later that it hadn't gone well. This was the morning afterward, when they were all getting ready to leave.
Perhaps she thought it was a good distraction from the situation.
Shine heard her out as patiently as if they had all the time in the world.
"It was a good start, Ruby," she said finally.
"What? He blew me off," Ruby said.
"Ruby, Mercury does that when people get too close to discovering something about him," Shine said. "He's done the same to me--and to Emerald, from all I hear. It just means you must have been saying something that mattered."
"But if he really did that," Ruby said, "how...?"
"I will not say that killing one's own father is a light matter," Shine said. "But all the blood on Marcus' hands hardly renders him innocent. Nor do I think he gave Mercury much reason to love him. A crime like that sounds bad, but the reasons for it are really much more complicated than cold blooded murder. Marcus deserved to die. Mercury might not have done it for anyone else, but he probably spared many people's lives in a way. And, sadly, I'm not of the opinion that we should spare our own family if they are evil. It's not a choice anyone should have to make, but..."
"He didn't do it for that. He just is an assassin," Ruby said.
"He's never killed for fun," Shine said, "nor do I notice him beating up people close to him. One must consider where he has come from, Ruby. He's not a nice person, but he's not quite the monster his father was either. He has better parts in him than that. I can't see Marcus ever protecting anyone the way Mercury protects Emerald. So far he has not harmed anyone on this team the way a bully would have. He's not good--but he's not all bad. Your job is to do what you are meant to do, as a Silver-Eyed warrior, and find the good and reflect that."
"But...what if I can't?" Ruby said.
"Ruby, I didn't give you this assignment. It came from Above," Shine said. "If it did, then you can be sure it's possible--or at least that you must try. The results are in God's hands. But if you do not try your hardest out of fear or disgust or hesitation to allow someone to have another chance, then that's hypocritical. You must want to protect people so much you will overlook even this thing in someone else. Perhaps he wants forgiveness now but has no way to ask for it. Who knows? I've watched him closely, and if I thought he was not capable of change, he wouldn't be here still."
"I just don't know if I have your faith that people can change," Ruby said.
"Just work on doing your part." Shine shrugged. "He listened--that is something. I'd give him a day or so before you try again, and maybe you can think of a slightly more tactful approach next time. Though I'm not sure he really cares for tact."
"It's better for you," Ruby said saltily. "You'd at least want to."
"And perhaps it might matter more that you would do it even though you don't want to," Shine said. "But one other thing--you keep comparing him to you and your mother. That's not right. The Silver Eyes are no more a product of worthiness than any other natural ability. They give you something, an ability to be more powerful because of love. That does not mean that you are automatically a loving person because you have them. You've had your own struggles and temptations with it. It means that when you overcome them and love anyway, you are powerful. Your mother was not always as noble as you might remember her now. She had to grow into it, for all we know. She might have come off as shy and selfish at one time. You knew her at her best. None of us are always at our best."
Ruby sighed.
"And you have grown, haven't you?" Shine said. "Once, you didn't want to be a leader or even have to make that many friends."
"I did think of that," Ruby said. "But I did want to help people."
"The Silver Eyes are not really about that alone," Shine said. "Nor is love. Helping people is part of love, but love is dependent on more than just help. Love would go farther for people who didn't even deserve it and didn't ask for it, because that is its nature. It is self sacrificial. Why do you think the Eyes are so opposed to magic? Magic is selfish--it takes power from other things and bends it to its own will. The Eyes are purely a giving power. They come from you and go out to other people. The nature of these things matters, Ruby. You'll grow stronger the more you embrace these truths. It isn't accidental that your Eyes have not weakened with your change to our ways. They've gotten stronger. But don't think you still can't lose them if you lose your faith and compromise."
"You don't think I could do that just because of Mercury?" Ruby said.
"I am warning you that once you put yourself up as judge over someone else's worthiness, you begin a very slippery slope," Shine said. "And it won't stop at one person. It will become everyone. Someone with your gift must be careful not to do that. Atlas was bad enough when you did it even a little. You broke Ironwood's trust. Don't do that again. You can think you are the hero, the savior, because of your gift, but you are just a human who's been given a special insight into how God works. Each of us has our own insight. But some of them are more visible, and because of that the temptation to think you are something else is greater. You need to remember that you are still human, and Mercury, he has that gift not because he deserves it, but nevertheless it is a potential in him also. What is it to you what he's done? All that matters to us is if he uses that potential."
She gave Ruby a lot to think about there.
Ruby later told her team, as they were loading onto the plane that was going to take them as far as the edge of this continent if it could, that she wondered if she was up to the task of doing this.
"I should be more concerned about the monsters we're going to find once we get there," she said, "but instead I'm just wondering if I can actually do this. Maybe I'm not as good a leader as everyone thinks."
"Ruby, I think if anyone could, you could," Blake said. "You've always tried to lift us up to do the right thing."
"Ungracefully at times..." Weiss said.
Blake gave her a look.
"...but you still do it," Weiss finished.
"Well, I'm not sure I'm that special," Ruby said.
Yang sighed. "Ruby, I might have...kinda said some stuff I shouldn't have about your decisions...and maybe you aren't always right, but what I didn't say was that you at least always try to be right. Just try to be right. I wouldn't want your job--I can't stand Black--but if it's what you've gotta do, and you've decided to do it, then don't worry about it. It's on him if he doesn't listen anyway. Just tell him whatever you need to tell him about the Eyes and let him deal with it. That's what I'd do."
"But I might need to do a little more than that," Ruby said, "to really say I did my best."
"Well, then you'll figure it out," Weiss said.
"I mean, you got Weiss to become your friend," Blake said. "That's something."
"Hey!" Weiss cried.
"And me," Blake said. "And I don't really make friends that easy either. And you put up with Yang being nuts."
"I heard that." Yang frowned at her.
"So maybe just cut yourself some slack," Blake said. "Just do what you did with us, and you'll be fine."
"Mostly with you I just didn't give up because I had no idea what else to do," Ruby said.
"Well, that is where you do your best work," Weiss said dryly. "So maybe you should play to your strengths."
"I think that's almost a nice thing to say, Weiss." Ruby hugged her.
"Ah, careful!" Weiss pretended to not like it.
"Take care of yourselves!" Klein called.
Weiss and Winter had had an interesting goodbye a few minutes ago with their family.
Jacques had actually recovered from the Apathy, luckily or unluckily, depending on how you looked at it.
But he had little pride left by now. He had already signed over the SDC to Willow and Whitley exclusively in exchange for making a plea bargain. He seemed harmless enough...
Weiss informed him that she was leaving to save Remnant, and he had little to say to her about it, other than she was going to throw her life away, probably.
Weiss supposed he never said anything pleasant.
But he was her father, for better or worse, and she felt she should say something.
Winter had no such inclination. She said she stopped caring what he thought years ago and he'd stopped caring what she did sooner than that.
But she did say a rather brisk farewell to her mother, Whitley, and Klein.
Willow knew where they were going, even if she wasn't coming.
"You girls are both so much braver than I have ever been," she said quietly. "You're like my father. He would have been so proud of you... He'd be going with you if he was still alive, even if he was old." She laughed wryly.
Weiss chuckled slightly... That did sound like Nicholas Schnee.
"It's our duty." Winter was really bad at this.
"I know." Willow looked down. "I know it is... I'm...I'm sorry I've not done mine. I thought you should know that before you go... Just..." She paused, then cleared her throat. "Well, I'm proud of you both. And...I love you. For what it's worth."
"Thanks, Mom." Weiss hugged her. "I...love you too."
Winter cleared her throat. "Yes, well, I suppose it's natural to...have regrets, but we can overlook them, in light of the situation."
For Winter that meant the same thing.
"Well, don't expect me to say anything that sentimental." Whitley had his arms crossed. "Both of you are as foolish as ever."
"And for a second I was actually considering saying I might miss you," Weiss said.
Whitley sighed. "Well, I suppose I have gotten used to how annoying you are... I...guess you should probably come back safely. Someone has to admire my success."
"I'd admire it if you showed some respect," Winter said.
"You first," Whitley said.
Winter actually was almost a little impressed by that retort. She smiled thinly. "We'll continue this conversation when we get back."
"Yes, well, of course," Whitley said.
"You take care of yourself, my snowflakes," Klein said.
Weiss hugged him also.
"You too, Klein. Keep an eye on them, all right?" she said. "Don't let Whitley get into too much trouble with that Broom girl."
"I heard that," Libby called from where she was standing. "More like the other way around. You people have the biggest penchant for trouble I ever saw. You be sure to beat that monster, all right? Or I'll skin you alive when you return."
They wouldn't return if they didn't succeed, but no one said this.
"Don't get into trouble with that Qrow person either," Willow said to Winter, aside from the others.
"Mother!?" Winter was shocked.
"I've seen how you look at each other," Willow said. "And I like him, but don't let it distract you. You have to be vigilant, you understand...and take care of Weiss."
"Of course I will," Winter said. "I always have."
"I know...and she'll take care of you too," Willow said. "Both of you are so strong now. But we'll be waiting when you get back, I promise."
Winter nodded. "I'm...sorry also," she said. "Perhaps I have been too harsh over the years. Not caring where everyone was coming from. Not thinking of Whitley at all..."
"No, you had your own life," Willow said. "I understand that... Anyway, it seems it worked out for the best. Your brother has gotten stronger too. You shouldn't feel bad." She sighed. "We've had enough regrets."
"I'll keep that in mind," Winter said.
[AMV by XAnimeXChick to Immortals, thought it was really cool, been waiting for a Schnee family scene to use it in.]
"Come on!" Yang had yelled at them.
Now, as the team was was getting on the plane, and everyone on the ground was seeing them off, Weiss and Winter both felt there just wasn't enough time to really say enough things after all the time their family had spent fighting each other.
"To think I'd actually kind of think about missing Whitley," Weiss said. "It's weird what's happened in the last few months."
"To think Mother would even be here," Winter muttered. "People have surprised me a lot recently."
"I wish my parents were here. I should have said more things to them," Blake sighed.
"Aw, they know," Sun said. "Your parents are cool like that." He waved at some of the Vacuo people who were seeing them off. "They'll miss us, you know. Bye, guys."
"Give her what for!" some of them called.
"Don't die!" said someone else.
"Come back alive, you blighter." That was Hamish.
No, he wasn't coming. He hadn't felt it was his sphere. He wanted to protect Vacuo.
Meridian wasn't apparently upset about this. He said someone had to stay behind to make sure the kingdom was all right.
Penny waved at Ruby, and Kip was waving at Vara and Theo.
"I promised myself I wouldn't cry." Vara put her face in her hands.
"Get a grip, baby," Theo said. "You don't want him to think you're upset about leaving him behind, do you? He might get the idea he should have come."
"Over my dead body!" Vara snapped, but she seemed a little better.
"Watch your back," Robyn called to Qrow. "And Raven, play nice with your brother while you're gone, eh?"
"Piss off." Raven flipped her off.
"She'll miss me," Robyn said to Marrow, who was there.
"Oh...sure..." he said.
Harriet and Elm were there too, looking displeased.
"This is the worst plan I've ever heard." Harriet didn't even know the whole thing, but she knew enough to think it was stupid.
"Take care!" Elm called. "Watch the General."
Oh, yeah...him.
No one had thought Shine would agree when he said he was going.
And really, no one else wanted him to.
But Glynda had already said she was going because it was her job to protect the Relics and Ozpin and the Maidens.
And Ironwood had said it used to be his also.
Everyone told Shine not to let him.
But Shine had given it some thought, and then she'd said that, really, it made no difference what anyone had done in the past. This was going to be a serious matter.
"You can come on one condition," she told Ironwood. "You will accept that I am in charge, or Wally. Or Oscar, failing that. Not Ozpin--Oscar. And that everyone else is higher ranking than you. You are at the bottom. And any trouble you start with anyone in the team, and I do mean anyone, and you will be discharged and sent home...if you make it home, which I doubt. But I won't hesitate to kick you out if you threaten anyone."
"Understood," Ironwood said grimly. "Though I think you're crazy to do this."
Qrow thought she was crazy to let him come.
"If he snaps, he could kill someone," he said.
"The reasons that would cause that have mostly been removed," Shine said. "Technically all of you were Ozpin's guard... It just seems fitting that whatever is left of you should accompany us. I'm sorry that it bothers you, but we might need him. The guy is very powerful, and we're going to need endurance. I can't just exclude him now because we don't like him. And for the record, I do not like him. But he's useful. And this is the world. Is it the time for a petty grudge?"
Qrow sighed. "And you will kick him out if he tries anything?"
"Yes," Shine said. "Wally will help."
Wally nodded.
"Fine, just keep him away from me," Qrow said.
"Dude, you can fly--you can stay away from him yourself," Wally said.
Everyone's minds were distracted as the plane lifted off.
"Goodbye, Vacuo," Neptune said, sitting back.
"Hello, nightmare lands," Emerald said, looking out the window.
Though they wouldn't be able to see them for another couple hours at least.
[And here we go.]