#perhaps that also played a role in her certainty that she'd make it back home

[strqyr]

ruby: i'm a huntress. my team and i are heading to the leviathan and can weaken it for you to attack! jaune: we can? ruby: i can. maria: ruby, when i said "trial by fire"— ruby: i did it at beacon and at the farm. weiss: you really think you can do it now? ruby: i don't have a choice.

there was something only summer could do—"if i do this right, there's nothing to worry about." in red like roses part ii, summer's part includes "i didn't have a choice, i did what i had to do."

ruby: we don't have to kill you to stop you. and we will stop you. salem: your mother said those words to me. she was wrong, too.

the goal wasn't to kill the leviathan, but to weaken it for the military to attack; and when the answer from the military was no, they're not getting support for them for their ship is flagged as hostile, ruby says fine, they'll do it alone if they have to.

summer's plan wasn't to kill salem, but to use her silver eyes to encase her in stone for what she surely hoped was for eternity; but like the leviathan, salem broke free, and summer was proven wrong.

but what interests me is that ruby asked for help from a local authority, and got a no for an answer because their ship, their mode of transportation, was flagged as hostile. it makes me wonder if summer originally brought up her plan to ozpin as a way to defeat salem once and for all, an attack they'd all play a part in, and ozpin said no. he couldn't reveal his true reasons for why he denied it, but if summer's plan always involved raven—who just so happens to have a semblance perfect for transporting people—, he could have used that as an excuse; raven had already left, they had no idea if she was loyal to them or not, she could be hostile, etc.

it's too risky.

but summer was determined, and she'd do it alone if she had to; she "didn't have a choice", after all. and the rest is history.

[wxtchpilot]

That wasn't something Shido could answer with clear certainty.

If the same phenomena that displaced her was the same that displaced Tenguu City one year ago, the chances of her being able to return there was slim. Shido could never go back to his old life; he accepted that ages ago.

However, he was fortunate enough to have family members with ties to an international organization with lots of resources at their disposal, as well as help from those he met along the way that he was able to adjust to the change in his life. And with most of those he knew from back then surviving, he truly was in a rather fortunate position.

But what about this girl?

He knew nothing about her situation prior to this, if she had any family or friends or even the exact location of where she came from, but the chances were that she had no one to help her as of now, no one to contact and no way back to where her home is if the same event befell her.

"....I don't know. If what happened to you was exactly the same thing that happened to Tenguu City, there's a real possibility your home is gone. But even so, we don't know anything for sure. It could have been something else altogether, but until we figure this out, I can't say anything for sure."

Then again, it was odd he hadn't heard anything about a second mass displacement event happening. Ratatoskr had Sites and eyes all over the world. The FRAXINUS, the airship his little sister commanded was more or less one high level facility that was deemed very important, not to mention often serving as the main hub of command for the SEPHIRA Initiative, which was Ratatoskr's special taskforce that responded to any threat to the world, both on the ground as well as off planet.

Shido was technically part of this initiative as "Member 0" where his role would have been to recruit new members, or at least convince them to join. If a second displacement event occurred, Shido would have heard about it already and he and a lot of his acquaintances would be making their way to ground zero to investigate. And yet he hadn't heard about it from anyone else so far.

Was the event so recent that the information simply hadn't reached them yet?

Or was something else at play?

Either way, all that really mattered was that there was someone in front of him who needed help.

"But with that being said, I'll do my best to help you. Whatever happened, your circumstances are too troubling to just ignore. Somehow, I'll find a way to get you back home, and if that isn't an option, we can figure something else out. So don't worry, everything will work out one way or another"

With all of this, it sounded like the school would be completely gone, perhaps everyone there too. Suletta still worried if it carried over to other stations or planets, because if Mercury was gone too, then that would be it, she'd have no home to go to.

She didn't want to panic, she didn't want to fear the worst either, but it was getting harder and harder the more the situation sank in. She should focus on that he said it doesn't mean its wiped out or everyone is dead, she should hold onto some form of hope.

If she ran, she'd only gain one. If she kept moving forward, she'd gain two.

'Just have to keep moving forward...' It was scary, but it was better than running away and being alone in an unknown world.

He was willing to help her as well, which she appreciated more than she could vocalize.

"R-Right, of course. I can't run away, if anyone r-really is out there then I have to help find them. So...so thank you, really! I'll make sure to help and do my part!"

The girl immediately awkwardly bowed, though she also forgot something important. Looking back up at him for a few seconds, the teenager began to fumble with her fingers.

"...My name is Suletta Mercury. Thank you for choosing to help me...I wouldn't know wh-what to do if you didn't."

She'd probably be hurt, or worse off.