Blake knew she had slept too much as soon as she woke up, a bright ray of afternoon sunlight sneaking through a crack in the ceiling and falling on the floor just beside her face. She closed her eyes and rolled over, shuddering as a strained and tired sensation burned through her body and fizzled out.

Her headache was gone, so that was good. She didn't feel any lingering pain from her fight with Trifa either. Her relief was brief, as it reminded her of the events of the previous night. The White Fang, the stolen weapons she'd failed to recover, and Sienna.

Sienna. Blake wished she could just fall back to sleep and forget about everything.

That would remain only a dream, as a vibration occurred near her leg, accompanied by an incessant buzzing noise. It brought her to a sitting position fast, kicking aside what little cover she had and fetching her Scroll from her pocket.

Before she took the call, her eyes stopped on a breaking news notification – Former White Fang leader declares bid for councilmanship. Her heart fell to her stomach as she realized Sienna had been completely serious. Blake had held a small hope that, once she had refused to join the campaign, Sienna would drop her plans. But nothing was ever that easy…

The buzzing brought her back to reality, and she brought her Scroll to her ear. "Hey."

"Blake!" Pyrrha's voice came through loudly, followed by an angry muttering of what Blake assumed was mistralian. "Do you know how long I've been trying to talk to you? And my texts, you didn't even read them?"

"I'm sorry, I overslept," Blake said. "I had a rough night."

"I assumed so, I just didn't know how much. You told me you about your mission, remember? And I told you to check up with me after so I'd know you were okay! You promised."

Pyrrha didn't speak for a while, and Blake was left to feel terrible as she realized that, indeed, she had forgotten about that promise, and she'd had a long time to call Pyrrha too. Although, if she was being honest with herself, she might have remembered during her return to Suntide… but a part of her might have wanted nothing to do with Pyrrha – or any of the Hunt, for that matter – after what she had gone through. In her vulnerable state, she might have listened to that voice when she never wouldn't have otherwise.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be so angry with you," Pyrrha spoke again, sounding much closer to her usual composed self, which only made Blake feel worse. "The last thing you want is to have someone grilling you, probably."

"No. Don't apologize. You're right, I should have at least texted you, even if I was drained," Blake said. "I'm sorry I was so selfish."

"I'm just glad you're okay." Pyrrha sighed. "You are okay, right?"

"Yeah. I'm fine."

"Good, because I was about to hop on a jet to Vacuo to find you. Well, not find, exactly - I may have traced your Scroll's location. Don't worry, I'm turning that off right now!"

Blake was glad they weren't in a videocall. She doubted she would have been able to hide how touched she was that Pyrrha cared that much about her. Not that she was too proud, but it would have been a little awkward if Pyrrha saw her face…

Blake wondered if Pyrrha paid that much attention to all her friends.

"Alright, that's done," Pyrrha said. "So now that I know you're not dead… Might your prolonged recovery have anything to do with a certain terrorist becoming a politician?"

"You know about Sienna."

"It's all over the news. Did you know before, or…?"

"I didn't." Blake paused, pursing her lips in displeasure. "No, I did know. Sort of. I heard rumors, and I knew something was in the workings because of the way the White Fang has operated since Vale. It was obvious, really, but I guess I didn't want to believe."

"I can't blame you for that, what with your history with Sienna. You must be feeling… I can't really imagine how you're feeling," Pyrrha said with a clear concern in her voice. "Blake, what happened last night?"

Blake rubbed her forehead, contemplating how to navigate that topic. If Pyrrha learned how she had been beaten and kidnapped, wounded pride would be the least of Blake's issues. Pyrrha would probably take that jet to Vacuo after all, and who knows when she would decide to trust Blake to be on her own again.

"I went to disrupt that operation I mentioned, the one with the stolen SDC weapons," Blake said. "Well, one thing turned into another, and I ended up in a White Fang base. Sienna was there. We talked, and she told me about her plans. She… also asked me to support her campaign. Publicly."

"She did?" Pyrrha said, bewildered. "I suppose it makes sense… You are a hero of sorts in Vacuo these days, aren't you?"

"Of sorts is right. People don't know me, Pyrrha." Blake shook her head. "You wouldn't understand unless you lived here."

"You're a public figure. You have sway with people, whether you like it or not," Pyrrha said."Sienna's smart – she knows she's way too infamous to gain votes from anyone but the most radical of faunus. But with someone like you attached to her cause…"

"You don't have to explain it to me. It doesn't matter anyway, since I'm not going to support me," Blake said. "Nevermind how she hurt me personally. She killed her own uncle! I would sooner elect a Beowolf than her. At least then I wouldn't have to worry about when she went berserk."

"Okay. I understand. I never thought you would support her, obviously," Pyrrha said. "So what happens now? I know you're not going to sit still and let things play out. You could declare that you're against her. That would put a dent in her campaign. And, if you really want to take her out of the running, you could tell the world what she did."

That was the easiest answer, and Blake would be lying if she said she hadn't thought about it. She wanted to take that option, really. But she had no proof – and that was a more complicated problem than it first appeared.

If Blake told Vacuo that Sienna had killed her own uncle, even if she had no proof beyond her words, people – humans, mostly - would believe her regardless, for no other reason than they wanted to. She would be presenting them with a reason to tear Sienna down. And as much as she hated Sienna, the thought of her being discredited and cast out and very possibly more by a human mob did not sit well with Blake.

No, she would not open that door. Sienna had already caused enough harm to their brothers and sisters on her own. Blake had to make sure her punishment wouldn't hurt anyone else.

"I don't know what I'm going to do," Blake said. "But you're right – I'm not going to let Sienna get what she wants."

"You can count on my help," Pyrrha said. "As a foreigner, and a former agent of Beacon, I don't think it would be right of me to oppose Sienna publicly… But as a friend, I can back you up. Just give the word and I'll help you however you need."

Blake stayed silent for a moment, trying to think of a way to refuse Pyrrha's help without offending her. When she couldn't come up with anything, Blake went for the next best option, which she surely would regret later.

"Thanks, Pyrrha. I'll keep that in mind," she said. "Anyway, I've gotta go. I'll check up with you again tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay! Be safe, Blake."

Putting down her Scroll, Blake ended the call and breathed a sigh of relief. Things were complicated enough without Pyrrha getting involved. And if she brought the others with her, it would be even worse…

But there was no time to worry about that. If Sienna was to be taken down, Blake needed to get to work quickly. A little more than a month was left until election day, but with foes like Sienna and the White Fang, that was preciously little time to act. Coupled with the fact that she had never delved into the realms of politics before, Blake had her work cut out for her.

At least she knew where to start. To stop Sienna, she would need to learn everything she could about her. Not only Sienna, Blake would have to study her allies and opponents too. Only when she had a clear idea of the situation would she make a move.

Picking up her Scroll, Blake found that article from before and opened it. She couldn't think of a better starting point than analyzing Sienna's public campaign. If she were lucky, there would already be something there that she could turn against Sienna and end her plans before they gained any traction.

But who was she kidding? Life was never that easy.

"Is this some kind of joke? Surely, Ms. Khan, you can't be serious! What's the real reason you've called us all here?"

"This is far from a joke, Mr. Nelson. Every word you just heard from me was meant with the utmost sincerity – and seriousness. I am running from Council. You are here to report on it." Sienna paused, her eyes scanning the crowd behind the cameras. "And when I win, you'll be there to report on that too."

Her resolute expression didn't falter, and neither did her gaze, even as the blinding white of dozens of flashes showered her and the city hall behind her. The uproar that followed lasted nearly a minute, the reporters all asking questions at the same time, raising their voices more and more in an effort to be heard above the others.

"Ladies, gentlemen. Please." Sienna raised a hand. "I told you I would answer all your questions, but for that I need to actually hear them." She waited patiently as the reporters quieted down, then pointed to one of them. "How about you start, Miss…"

The reporter, a young woman with tiny antlers atop her head, jumped and raised her microphone, having been mostly quiet during the uproar. "Meagan, ma'am. I mean, Meagan Verid – with the Vale News Network."

"Ah. I didn't recognize you. No surprise there." Sienna scanned the crowd. "No surprise about your network either. You must feel very… alone, in this crowd."

She smiled at Verid, and the rest of the reporters fell into an uncomfortable silence. The lone faunus reporter looked stunned, spinning her microphone nervously in her hands. Only after a few seconds did she notice the silence, and with a little nod, she took a step forward and faced Sienna.

"Thank you, Ms. Khan," she said, steadfast. "There any many questions I would like to have answered, but I'll start with something I know we all have in mind. As the former leader of a known terrorist organization – the White Fang – how can you be allowed to run for any level of political office, let alone the highest in the country?"

A brief muttering of approval rose from the small crowd, which only emboldened Verid further, her eyes fixed attentively on her interviewee's face. If Sienna was bothered by the question, she didn't show it – if anything, she seemed to be pleased, if her smile was anything to go by.

"I acknowledge my former allegiances are highly questionable, and I'm sure I will come under great scrutiny because of them," Sienna said. "Suffice it to say, I've been cleared by all the responsible parties. I welcome you all to investigate those matters with fervor. It's in the people's best interest, and, on a more selfish note…" She interlaced her fingers and gave a little shrug. "I went through a lot to get cleared. The trials and tribulations – there's a reason I'm joining the race so late. I would be a little upset if all that went unnoticed!"

Her response didn't seem to do much to quell the reporters, and Verid was quick to capitalize on that. "Pardon my bluntness, Ms. Khan, but officially cleared or not, you're hardly someone the public would trust to govern them – and can you blame us?" she said. "You've been on record before, talking about the White Fang, and you were rather candid about its bloody past. It's barely been a year since you renounced leadership. It could have been twenty years, and still it would be too soon for you to make a move like this."

This time, Sienna didn't seem too pleased, although she looked more troubled than angry. She took a moment to think, her gaze straying from the crowd before she looked at the reporters again, righting her stance.

"You're right. It is too soon. Or it would have been, in regular times. But we can all agree this past year has been anything but regular," Sienna said. "The world has changed. We wake up every morning wondering if today is the day the sky opens up again. And I wonder, when that day comes, will we survive it? Because I don't think we'll be so lucky again. Not Vacuo, that is sure."

"If we, as a country, continue as we are, we'll be destroyed," she continued. "We can't count on help from our allies forever. And we don't have heroes – no, we have a bunch of squabbling, spiteful people who will sooner tear each other down than extend an olive branch, even if it means both camps die."

"And who's going to do something to fix that? Certainly not the esteemed councilmen we've elected over and over for decades, who did nothing but protect their own hides while people were dying on the streets! Is that what you want for your country?!"

Sienna stopped, her face turned red and hands clenched into fists. There was silence except for the flashing of cameras and the occasional passing vehicle. Even the most fervent reporters were struck silent, though the reactions to Sienna's speech were appeared evenly split between positive and negative.

Finally, Sienna released a deep breath and held up her chin. The look on her face was almost supplicant, even if the spark in her eyes was still very much evident.

"I know what I did. I know who I was. I will never deny those years I spent as the leader of the White Fang," Sienna said. "Perhaps one day I'll see justice for those years. The White Fang, too. But for now?"

"For now, I must ask you to put the past aside, just for a while, so we can work together to fix our country. I want a better, stronger, compassionate Vacuo. A Vacuo not for faunus, not for humans, but for both." She paused. "I believe we can make that a reality. And I hope you'll allow me to be a part of it."

As soon as she finished, the crowd came alive again, shouting questions, and other, less pleasant things, at her. Sienna sighed, sweeping her hair back over her forehead, then leaned forward with a tired smile on her lips.

"Now, does anyone want to talk policy?"

With a nauseous sensation sinking to the pit of her stomach, Blake was forced to put her Scroll down and cover it with a pillow. It was all she could do to not toss it away.

Her chest felt tight all of a sudden. So tight. God, she could barely breathe. Jumping to her feet, she banged against the low ceiling until she found the usual loose tiles. They went sliding down after she pushed them, then plummeted off the edge of the building and shattered on the alleyway below. Blake didn't care about the noise, or that she wouldn't be able to close the hole later – all she cared about was getting out.

Tears came to her eyes as she felt the chilly evening air brush against her face. She filled her lungs with it, sprawled out on the roof like she'd just crawled out of the ocean. A persistent buzzing rang in her ears, growing louder with every passing second, so loud – deafening – her head about to explode-

And suddenly, silence.

Cold.

Breathing.

Blake sat up, pressing her knees against her chest and wrapping her arms around them. It was over, whatever had happened to her, but the fresh air and quiet did little to soothe the terror that seized her. And the confusion, that was the worst of it – because fear, she could deal with, but not if she couldn't even understand what was happening to her.

How was she supposed to do this if she couldn't even watch a recording of Sienna? She would lose her mind if it happened again. And if they met in person, which was bound to happen eventually? She couldn't.

She simply couldn't.

Once again, things would be so much simpler if Sienna just made a monster of herself. Blake never thought she would be thankful for Adam's cruelty, but she was. For all his manipulations and twisted ideals, at least Blake was always sure she was on the right when they fought.

It figured Sienna would be similar, with how she had molded Adam into who he was now, almost like he was her apprentice. But Sienna was different, somehow. She wasn't gentle, that was sure. But she was smart, patient, and she had all the right ideas. If it had been anyone else running her campaign, Blake would have voted for them in a heartbeat.

If it had been Joshua, Blake would have voted for him.

How would he feel about all of this, were he still alive? What would he say when he saw his niece running for such an important role in their country? He would probably be so proud of her. So relieved that Sienna had found the right path, despite everything.

Blake was sure he wouldn't feel the same way about her.

Maybe giving up was for the best. Who did she think she was, anyway? Some hero, bravely protecting people from voting for someone of their own accord? As if she knew better.

As if she was better.

That was it. She would leave Sienna to her own devices, and stop messing with the White Fang. Leave Suntide – leave Vacuo entirely, maybe. She had a home in Vale, and though it filled her with shame, it was better than-

A strident beeping broke her from her thoughts. Blake looked around, her ears perking up under her bow, until she realize the noise was coming from below. Her Scroll – and suddenly she understood, and without waiting another second, dropped back into her hideout.

She snatched her Scroll in a hurry and looked at the Screen, while with her other hand she searched blindly for her blade. A sudden panic overwhelmed her as she read the data. It had to be wrong, some kind of mistake with the Beacon satellites. A Breach of that size didn't simply appear in a city center without at least a week's warning.

Composing herself, Blake finally found her blade and sheathed it, then hurried over to a corner and pried a plank of wood up from the floor, and retrieved the pistol and ammo hidden under it. She didn't like using guns in general, especially in public, and it had been ages since she'd last run maintenance on this one, but her choices were few and time was not on her side.

Blake loaded up a magazine, then cocked the gun. Hopefully she wouldn't be too late.

"Here! Pull over, quick!"

The cab started to swerve to the right towards the sidewalk, only to stop and continue forward on the road as the driver saw the mass of people in the street and the red and blue flashing somewhere amidst them. "Are you sure about that, ma'am? I'm not liking the look of things here-"

"I'm sure," Blake said, her fingers tapping restlessly near the passenger door's handle. "I came prepared. Please pull over."

The driver shook his head and made a disapproving noise with his mouth, but pulled over nonetheless. Blake got out as soon as they were stopped, pausing briefly to toss two twenty-lien bills at the driver and tell him to keep the change. Seconds later, she was gone from his sight, somewhere amongst the crowd.

Even with her faunus ears covered, Blake found herself cringing with discomfort at the infernal noise surrounding her. There were too many people to count, all of them shouting without reservation, and on top of that, a siren that rang louder with every passing second, it seemed, trying to drown out the voices. Steeling herself, Blake forced her way through the crowd towards the siren and the flashing lights, shoving people when she had to.

Finally, she broke through the last line of people, only to be met with a yellow-tape barrier. It made a wide circle across the city plaza, and at the other side of the perimeter stood several armored police officers, watching the unruly crowd nervously and shouting back at them.

One side of the yellow-tape perimeter was nearly joined with a tall building – some sort of business center, Blake guessed. Inside was another crowd, this one consisting of businessmen and women, and they too were shouting at the cops that were blocking off their exit.

Peering over the closest officer's shoulder, Blake found the source of the flashing lights, a column of police cars, and a couple of ambulances. Stretchers were being loaded up on the ambulances, but Blake couldn't see the people on them. She looked away and felt a chill as saw an unmoving form on the ground, covered by a black tarp. Then she saw another, and another, three, five, eight-

A sense of dread surged through Blake's body, but it was not because of the what she was seeing, but rather what she had come here for. She could feel it in her bones – the Grimm would be here any moment now.

Shaking off her astonishment, Blake looked at the officer in front of her and gestured at him, but he was too occupied with the people around her to give her any mind. She didn't wait a second longer and lashed out with her ribbon, wrapping it around the officer's arm and pulling on it to bring him closer.

"What the- Hey you! Let go of me right now, or else…!" The officer tried to reach for his holster, but Blake pulled on her ribbon again, immobilizing that arm and grabbing the other with her free hand.

The crowd cheered around her, but Blake ignored them and leaned forward to speak on the officer's ear. "Get these people away from here. If you don't do that now, there are going to be even more dead tonight."

"Are you threatening me?!" the officer shouted. "You don't know who you're speaking to!"

"No, that is your problem."

Blake released him and, as he brought out his gun, slid under the tape and past him, leaving a clone where she just had been standing. She walked to the middle of the perimeter before letting the clone dissolve. By the time she stopped, many in the crowd had already noticed her appearance, and that quickly brought the attention of the officers to her.

"Ma'am, you are not allowed in here!" a cop shouted, approaching her along with two companions, all with guns pointed at her. "This is a crime scene. Leave, or you'll be removed by force!"

"Your crime scene is about to be turned into the scene of a slaughter," Blake said, retrieving her Scroll and holding it up with the screen facing the officers. "I'm Blake Belladonna, Huntress. A Breach will be opening any second now, just above where you're standing now, and Grimm will be coming out of it. I don't know how many – could be five, could be fifty." That was an exaggeration. She wouldn't be nearly as calm if fifty Grimm were about to drop on her. "Do I need to tell you what Grimm do with angry, delicious masses of live flesh?"

The lead officer's face shone with recognition, and slowly he lowered his gun, though Blake noted he still didn't put it away. "Not to disrespect you, Miss Belladonna, but, if there was about to be one of those… attacks, right here in our city, wouldn't Beacon be here to deal with the situation?"

"Nobody knew about this Breach until now. I'm sure Beacon is sending people to help, but they're busy people and they can't be everywhere at once. That's why I'm here." Blake's Scroll started flashing red. "Now could you please evacuate the area?"

The lead officer looked back at his companions and nodded. He spoke into his radio, and after a few seconds, the other officers keeping the perimeter started to wave their arms at the onlookers, which only riled them up more.

Blake looked at the sky anxiously, expecting it to turn red any moment now. She knew the fight would be gruesome regardless of what happened, but she at least hoped there wouldn't be any casualties. From the way the officers were handling the evacuation, that hope seemed pointless thus far.

"Turn back! This area is to be evacuated immediately and orderly!" the lead officer screamed into a megaphone. "I repeat, this area is to be evacuated immediately!"

"That's bullshit!" came a voice from amidst the crowd. "Crooked pigs! We want real justice!"

"There's about to be a Grimm attack! Evacuate immediately!"

Blake winced, wishing the officer had said anything but that. It did no good, as though a great number of people took heed of the warning and ran away at once, just as many stayed, and they were angrier than ever.

And then, the officer lost his patience and did something even worse - he reached for his gun and held it high. Blake stepped towards him, but her warning was drowned out by the first gunshot. The second made her step backwards, cursing under her breath and drawing her blade.

The final gunshot was accompanied by a wave of dreadful energy that washed over her. The crowd started to disperse. The pavement was showered by a red glow.

Blake tossed out her ribbon, wrapping it around the lead officer's wrist, and pulled him towards her violently. He fell on the ground mid-travel, his shoulder quite possibly dislocated – but the first emerging Grimm, an Ursa double his height, only shattered the ground he had just been standing upon, and not his body.

From the corner of her eyes, Blake saw more Grimm crashing on the street around her, but she ignored them to the best of her ability, keeping her focus on the Ursa as it came charging at her. She tried attaching her blade to her ribbon for a ranged attack, but her time was too short, and she was forced to somersault over the beast. Her feet found purchase on its shoulders, and she swung low, exercising all her strength to bury her blade on the exposed flesh under the Ursa's chin.

The monster turned to smoke under her, but Blake managed to find her footing gracefully and bounded out of the dark, finishing joining her ribbon and blade. It was just as well, as two Beowolves came leaping at her, claws and fangs at the ready. A flick of her wrist sent her blade into the exposed insides of one's mouth, and the other passed through her shadowy clone and crashed on the ground. A quick and personal stab to the throat did that one in.

Blake looked up, her initial glory kept in check by the sight of the other Grimm in the plaza. They weren't many – no more than ten, by her quick count – but that was only a slight mercy. Though no civilians had been caught, two policemen had fallen already, and the rest had little hope of driving them off with their ineffective firearms. Their bullets harmed more than they helped, bouncing off the Grimm's tough hides and putting everyone close to them at risk.

"Hey!" Blake yelled to the lead officer, who was picking himself up off the ground painfully. "Tell your men to stop shooting! I'll kill the Grimm!"

The officer looked up at her, then pointed at his radio. It was clearly broken – it must have happened when he fell.

"Just – just make sure people don't get hurt!" Blake said. She had no time to kick herself over that.

How many Grimm were left? Seven – the officers must have killed a few somehow. Blake ran towards the nearest one, a bigger Beowolf which was being held down by a barrage of bullets. As she neared it, a stray impact to her forehead nearly sent Blake sprawling.

The monster was about to leap at the officers, but Blake got to it first, crashing her body against its side and burying her blade in it. She fell through the smoke, softened her landing with a roll, and got up again.

Her stomach dropped. There were five Grimm left now, a single Ursa and four Beowolves, but they were all together, advancing towards the business center. The police force had managed to form a barrier between them and the people inside, but that would prove useless when the Grimm inevitably reached them.

Blake could see the people inside. Some knocked against the glass doors, not knowing that getting out would only quicken their demise. Others searched for another exit, but there was none. More were visible at the windows of the upper floors, looking down at the ongoing massacre in horror.

How many people were in that building? Hundreds? A thousand?

Blake closed her eyes. She had one advantage in this situation, one bittersweet factor that could turn the tides in her favor. But a mere Semblance wasn't enough to tear away the attentions of the Grimm from the despair of hundreds of defenseless victims.

And so she took out her pistol, aimed it at the back of the Ursa, and focused on the memory of the sound of a speeding train.

The memory of a snapped neck.

The memory of a golden-eyed devil speaking her thoughts aloud.

She focused on the memory of an abandoned friend.

An abandoned house.

An abandoned family.

She focused on the feel of the gun in her hands…

"Three out of three. Not bad."

Sienna walked back to her. She looked at the broken shards of glass at the distance, then smiled at her.

"Who am I kidding? You're a badass, straight-up," she said. "But do you think you can hit that one? The one at the far, far back."

"I… I don't know," Blake said. "I can barely see it from here."

"Well, yeah. But shooting's not about seeing. It's about… feeling." Sienna snorted. "Or, you know, guts. Whatever sounds less corny."

Her smile turned into a frown as she saw the doubt on Blake's face. Blake started to put her gun down, ashamed that she was being such a let-down, but a gentle poke snapped her to attention.

"I'll help you." Sienna stood behind her, putting her hands on Blake's shoulders. "Just hold it up. Let yourself feel. Breathe in. And when it's time…"

She pulled the trigger.

"…breathe out."

The bullet bounced off the Ursa's back and vanished from view. Slowly, the hulking monster turned, as did the other four, their red eyes falling on Blake with murderous intent.

She tossed her pistol aside and met their stares. The air in her lungs was running short, and her legs felt much too frail to support the weight of her body. A ringing built in her ears.

They charged at her, and Blake charged at them.

She collided head-on with a Beowolf, slashing through its throat in one go. A clawed fist swung through the smoke and hit the side of her skull, sending her spinning, barely on her feet. A stomp of her foot brought her momentum to a halt, and with a powerful thrust, another Beowolf fell.

Step back. Spin. Slash. Slash again. Duck. Stab. Try to find her breath. Another Grimm down.

A mass of black filled her vision, and suddenly she was on the ground, pressed down by a pair of claws. Fangs snapped at her nose, barely kept at bay. On sheer instinct, Blake jerked her head forward, and a flash of pain and red in her vision told her she had made contact with a tooth. The Beowolf drew back, whining, and dissolved as metal pierced its right eye.

Before she could find her bearings, a claw closed around her arm, and Blake was hoisted off the ground like a lifeless doll, only to be slammed back down on the concrete an instant later. She gasped for air, but found none, and down she went again.

She was raised again, and she trashed with the strength she could muster, slashing blindly and kicking and punching – and eventually, something did the trick, as the Ursa dropped her back on her feet. Blake looked up, meeting eyes with the Grimm, and a storm of emotions raced its way up her throat and left her mouth in a hoarse shout.

The Ursa swooped down with an arm and passed through her. It turned halfway and grabbed her, only for her to again disperse between its claws. The creature's red eyes erupted like miniature furnaces as it spun in a frenzy, destroying clone after clone futilely, until its rage grew too big and it stopped to roar at the heavens – and finally, Blake appeared above it and buried her blade on the Ursa's forehead, turning it to smoke.

She fell to her knees, clutching her chest. Faintly, she heard applause around her. After one last attempt to draw in some air, she collapsed entirely, and lost her sight.

"Hah! There you go! See, I knew you could do it!"

Blake lowered her gun. "It wasn't all me. You helped."

"Oh, please. You think I meant any of what I said? It was just nonsense to get you into the right shape," Sienna said. "Trust me, I didn't do a thing. You're the amazing one."

"Thanks, Sienna." Blake smiled. "But you're pretty cool, too."

"Whatever you say." Sienna turned around, one hand on her hip. "So, uncle? Did I or did I not tell you that she could do it? What do you have to say for yourself, huh?"

Joshua crossed his arms, studying Sienna with his eyes for a moment. Then, he looked at Blake and winked.

"I have to say… I am impressed." His lips curved into a knowing smile. "Very impressed."

I'm not overly fond of such heavy usage of italics like in this chapter, but I'm hoping it wasn't too off-putting this time. Tell me your thoughts.

This chapter, despite it's relative shortness compared to my usual, was actually quite a challenge to write. Particularly Sienna's press conference - that kinda stuff is not really my area of expertise (though I don't even know what my area of expertise is exactly, someone figure it out and tell me, please).

Anyway. I'll be making a real effort to bring you the rest of the story in a more timely manner. I'm not very happy about my (lack of) consistency this past year. Also, I don't think I mentioned it in the last chapter - this story might actually be a little shorter than the usual. Seven chapters? But nothing's set in stone, of course.

-Zeroan