Hello, everyone! One more chapter ready to go. I was quite satisfied with this one. I really hope you guys like it.

Jack Lycan (chapter 9): Yup. But let's be real, Sun usually does mess up XD.

Jaune finished dressing and walked out of the bathroom. Ruby and Weiss were up and ready to go.

"Do you have any idea on where we should start?" Ruby asked him, nervously playing with her fingers.

"What about the police station?" Weiss asked, earning a glare from Ruby and a sigh from Jaune. "What?" She asked after seeing their reactions.

"We need to talk to her first and let her explain herself. I'm sure..."

"After everything it happened? She ran! You tried to follow her and she didn't stop." He resisted the urge to wince at his little lie. "Innocents never run!"

"That's not necessarily true. She was scared, confused, and hurt. She saw us, her teammates and friends, react negatively, assumed the worse and ran. And if this is how you react, I would've too." The heiress crossed her arms and huffed. "At least let Blake explain herself before hating her." Weiss didn't answer, so he turned to Ruby and gestured to the door. Ruby gave a sad look towards her partner before leaving with him. They were greeted by the sight of Yang.

"Hey..." She said, scratching the back of her head. "Are you guys going to find Blake?"

"We have to," Ruby answered before Jaune could.

"Seeing as I'm only talking to you two, I'll assume that Weiss is still mad?" She asked.

"Putting it lightly, yeah." He answered. "Things got heated last night."

"What exactly happened? We overheard some words about the White F..."

"Not our tale to tell." He said, cutting her off. "Ruby and I are going to Vale. Can you keep an eye out for Weiss while we're gone?" Before Yang could answer, the door to their room opened once more. Weiss walked out with a cool facade.

"That won't be necessary." She said, attaching Myrtenaster to her hip. "I'll go with you. If anything, it'll prove that I'm right." She didn't wait for them to answer and strode down the corridor.

"Well, at least she's going with us. It's a progress." He said with a sigh. "See you later, Yang."

"See ya!" She answered back, briefly waving her hand. "Good luck with all of that."

"Thanks." He said, already walking towards the exit. Ruby followed by his side. "It's gonna be a long day, isn't it?" Ruby snorts, giving him his answer. "I figured as much." Stepping out of the building, they faced Weiss once more. Her arms were crossed and she was tapping her foot.

A long day indeed.

Long...

After a long night at a simple motel, Blake met Sun at a local café.

"So." She said after taking a sip of tea. "How much did you heard yesterday?"

"A few things. Mostly about the guy telling you to take care and being all protective of you." He pauses, sipping his coffee. "Is he your boyfriend or something? You two seem close."

"He's my partner." She said, albeit rather quickly. She lifted her teacup, the swirling vapor partially hiding her blush. "And probably my best friend at Beacon."

"I get it. My partner and I are awful close too. You should have seen the lecture he gave me when I told him I was going to Beacon earlier for the festival." He smiled to himself, remembering the conversation. "My ears are still hurt." He joked. "Sometimes I wonder if all partners are like that."

"We're supposed to take care of each other," Blake said, hiding a small smile. He thought of Weiss and Ruby, Ren and Nora, and even Yang and Pyrrha. It could be a coincidence, but every pairing had someone who was a little bit more level- headed. "But I think all partners are like that to some extent." She sipped her tea again. "Did you heard anything else?"

"I don't know. Maybe something about the White Fang. I didn't catch much if that's what your asking." He said. Blake closed her eyes and wondered if it was worth telling him what happened. He knew part of the story already, but she wasn't one to tell her personal life to strangers. Against every single fiber if her body, she spoke.

"Well, I suppose you would find out sooner or later..."

Later...

"Blake! Where are you?!" Ruby screamed once more, getting no response once more. "We've been looking for her all day and nothing!"

"Don't worry Rubes, we'll find her sooner or later," Jaune said.

"If she is still in the city," Weiss said, making Jaune and Ruby look at her with questionable faces. "What? She ran away, didn't she?"

"But that doesn't mean she is a criminal," Ruby said.

"But she is! She said she is a member of the White Fang!" Weiss exclaimed, crossing her arms.

"She was a member of the White Fang." Jaune corrects her.

"Well..." Weiss raised an eyebrow. "Wait a minute, how would you know? She never..." Her eyes widened. "You found her, didn't you? You found her and you let her go."

"She needed some time to herself." He said. "Honestly, I thought you both did. Clear your heads, think about happy things. You know, not kill each other."

"I do not need to clear my head," Weiss said, frowning.

"Sure. And birds don't need wings." Ruby said.

"And people do not need oxygen," Jaune said, making Ruby giggle and Weiss huff.

"Quiet, you two! I thought you two would at least take this seriously!" The heiress said.

"Well, I think Weiss's hair looks wonderful today!" A familiar face said, causing the group to turn around in a very startling way.

"Penny! Where did you come from?!" Ruby said, her heart beating fast with the scare. Penny smiled and ignored her question.

"Hey, guys! What are you doing?" She asked.

"We're trying to find out a teammate, Blake," Jaune said. Penny nodded after a moment.

"Oh! You mean the Faunus girl." The team shared a surprised look between themselves as if wondering if it was that obvious.

"How did you know?" Weiss asked with a curious expression.

"Well, the cat ears," Penny said pointing to her own head as a reference. Not noticing their reactions, she continued. "Anyway, why are you guys after her? Did she got lost?"

"Not exactly. Well..." Ruby scratched the back of her head. "There was a fight yesterday and she ran." Penny walked towards Ruby and shook the girl's shoulders lightly.

"That's terrible!" Penny said. "Well, don't worry Ruby, my friend. I won't rest until we find your teammate." She said firmly, tightening her grip on Ruby's shoulder.

"Great! We can use all the help we can get, right guys?" She asked her teammates. Jaune held Weiss by her arm firmly enough so she didn't run, but was careful not to hurt her. The heiress, otherwise, wasn't exactly satisfied with having to stay. Jaune sighed.

"Sure. How about we split up? That way we can cover more ground. I'll go with Weiss and you stick with Penny if that's okay." He said, waiting for their approval. Weiss pondered the possibility and nodded, releasing her arm from his grip.

"It's okay by me," Ruby said. "What do you think, Penny?

"It sounds like the logic thing to do. I'll accompany you, Ruby." The ginger said.

"Great. Call if you find anything and we'll do the same." Jaune says as he glanced at his scroll's clock. "We meet each other at the Bullheads in five hours."

"Okay! Good luck!" Ruby said excitedly as she and Penny walked down the street. Jaune looked at Weiss disapprovingly.

"Really, you were going to slip away? Let's talk about being a hypocrite." He said, earning a glare and a small blush from the heiress.

"It's different!" She sighed. "You know what, let's just focus on finding Blake. There's no point in fighting you now." Jaune rolled his eyes and luckily she didn't notice. He knew she was processing a lot of things so he didn't say anything in return and just walked. He would occasionally glance at his scroll, hoping for a message from Blake. After thirty minutes, Weiss broke the silence.

"How can you forgive her that easily?" She asked, making his eyes widen in surprise.

"I couldn't simply forget everything we've been through just because of something that's in her past. She's my friend, my partner, the same Blake I trust and would die for, in the way I would for you and Ruby. A secret doesn't change that, her past doesn't change that. We all have secrets, we all have something that we hate about our past or even ourselves." He paused, looking at Weiss, who instinctively brought her hand to her face as if trying to hide her scar. "I just chose not to judge her by her ghosts when I have so many of my own. It's only fair, don't you think?" He didn't expect an answer, and she was too lost in her thought to give him an answer.

Answer...

"So, what's the plan now?" Sun asked Blake. For once, she didn't know if she had an answer. After contemplating for a few seconds, she looked him in the eye.

"I still don't think the White Fang is behind this robberies. They never needed that much Dust before."

"But... What if they did?" Blake raised an eyebrow questionably. "I mean... the only way to prove that they didn't do it is to go to the place where they would most likely go to if they were to do it and not find them there! Right?"

"The only thing is, I have no idea where that would be." Blake crossed her arms.

"Well, while I was on the ship, I heard some guys talking about offloading a huge shipment of Dust coming in from Atlas." Blake's eyes widened with interest.

"How huge?" She said, almost in a whisper.

"Huge." He said while gesturing with his arms. "Like, SDC kind of huge."

"Are you sure?" The blonde nodded, and his face twisted in confusion when she grabbed her scroll and dialed a number.

"Who are you calling?" The boy asked.

"I'm calling a friend."

Calling...

To say Jaune was surprised that Blake called him was putting it lightly. His surprise only equal to his worry. He didn't even hesitate when he put in a fake smile.

"Hey, are you okay?" He said, trying to ignore the way Weiss looked at him.

"I'm fine. It's just... can you go meet me at the docks?" She asked. Jaune hesitated. Blake must've caught the way his breath caught up in his throat. "You're not alone, are you?" She took his silence as a yes. "Okay, never mind. Take care..."

"Right, sure. We'll meet you there." He said, pausing for a moment. He couldn't see Blake's face, but he could feel her confusion. "Good luck to you too, Ruby." He ended the call. Weiss's interest seemed to be lost.

"What did Ruby said?" The heiress asked.

"She said she was going back to our meeting point. We sure did a lot of searching today." The heiress nodded quietly.

"Right. Sure." She said in a cold, absent voice. "You know, if you want to go after Blake so much, I won't stop you." Jaune sighed.

"Sorry. I just thought your reaction would be more... Well, you know. Explosive." The heiress huffed.

"And then you were going to slip away?" She smirked. "Let's talk about being a hypocrite." He clutched his hand over his heart.

"Ouch. You wound me." He said with a cheeky grin. Weiss sighed.

"Just go. She needs you." She said, poking him in his chest. "I'll meet up with Ruby and Penny."

"Thanks, Weiss, you're the best." He said with a genuine smile. "I'll meet you later, I promise!" He said, already running his way towards the docks. Weiss took a deep breath before turning around, heading to the opposite direction.

"You better, you dolt..."

You...

"Are you sure he's coming?" Sun asked once more. They've been waiting for Jaune at the docks for half an hour.

"I think he is. He told me he was coming." "I think" She completed mentally. "He wasn't alone, he might've had trouble to come here."

"Nah, it was surprisingly easy to get here, but I was far from the docks." She heard his voice and her heart stopped from the scare. There weren't many people who could be as sneaky to the point where she couldn't hear them coming. She turned around to face him.

"Don't do that!" She scolded him. "I could've mistaken you for a threat! I could've hurt you."

"But you didn't. And even if I was a thief, you would just shadow clone your way out." He said with a smile, even though his eyes were serious. "Now, who's your friend?"

"Oh, hey dude! Nice to meet you! Name's Sun, Sun Wukong." The monkey Faunus said with a toothy grin. "You scared the hell out of me, man!"

"Sorry. I'm Jonathan, Jonathan Beauregard, nice to meet you too. Call me John." Jaune shook hands with the boy. "So why are we here again?" Sun glanced at Blake, who sighed.

"I know I can't drag you into this unless you want to, but..." She paused, meeting his eyes. "I need your help with something."

Something...

"Did something happened while I was gone?" Sun asked the partners, who were watching the docks attentively. Blake was laying down on the rooftop with Jaune sat at her left side. Sun sit down by Blake's right side.

"Not really. They've offloaded the crates from the boat. Now they're just sitting there." Blake said with a sigh.

"Cool." The monkey Faunus grabs two of the apples he was carrying and held out for them. "I stole you guys some food!" Blake raised an eyebrow while Jaune gave him a questioning look.

"Do you always break the law without giving a second thought?" She asked, making Sun recoil.

"Hey, weren't you in a cult or something?" Jaune winced at his choice of words and covered his face with a hand. Blake angrily glared at him. "Okay, too soon."

"Shh... quiet!" Jaune said, backing off from the edge of the building and motioning the others to do the same as a bullhead approached the area, descending in the middle of the cargo containers. It's door opened to reveal a group of black hooded people wearing Grimm masks.

"Oh no..." Blake said, closing her eyes in disbelief.

"Is that them?" Sun asked, getting a nod from Blake. Jaune placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it in a comforting way. They saw one of the armed men order the others around. "You really didn't think they were behind it, did you?"

"No." She sighed sadly, reaching for Jaune's hand on her shoulder and squeezing it back. "I think deep down I knew. It's just... I didn't want to be right." Suddenly there's a new voice, higher than the others, that grabs their attention.

"Hey! What's the hold-up!?" They saw a man in a white trench coat, taller than the others. Orange hair, bowler hat. They recognized the man instantly. "We're not exactly the most inconspicuous bunch of thieves at the moment, so why don't you animals try to pick up the pace?" Blake got up with fierce determination, unsheathing the katana of Gambol Shroud.

"This isn't right. The White Fang would never work with a human. Especially not one like that. She walks towards the edge. Jaune grabs her hand, but she vanishes in a black blur. Both boys bit back a curse as Blake fell down silently, making her way through the containers.

"What do we do now?!" Sun whispered, alarmed. Jaune looked around before coming up with something.

"How good are your climbing skills?" He asked.

"Dude." He pointed to himself and at his tail. Jaune huffed.

"Well, excuse me for not wanting to assume," Sun smirked briefly. "Can you climb the containers and follow her? I'll go around and drop next to the sea."

"I sure can. Why the sea?" It was Jaune's turn to smirk.

"Things are going to get heated and when they do I'll make sure they cool down if you know what I mean." He said.

"I don't." They turned around just in time to see Blake appearing behind Torchwick, a blade in his throat. Weapons were drawn and pointed towards her. "Shoot. Time to go."

"Good luck." With a quick nod, they parted ways. Jaune made his way through the rooftops and containers, his eyes focused on Blake. She took her bow off and said a few words. The White Fang members lowered their weapons momentarily. Jaune was next to the ocean now, and when he heard the explosion coming from the center of the docks, followed by the arrival of two Bullheads, he nearly lost it. He jumped down from his hiding spot, relief filling his face when he saw Blake rolling out of the way of Torchwick's attacks. He saw Sun leaping into the fray, and turned to the ocean. "Yue, I need your assistance."

The water trembled and rose, taking a female shape. Unlike Theodore, his first golem, Yue was more polished. Her entire form was made of water, falling down like a cascade, making she look like she was wearing a long dress. Her face, arms, and hands kept oscillating between water and ice, showing her sharp features literally carved in ice before melting into water. Her hair floated around her, pushing and pulling like waves. Her eyes glowed bright blue. She hissed a few words that only Jaune could understand.

"I know, but you know how hard it is to find enough water to form you?" Another hiss, this time sounding more like a huff. "Sorry, okay? I missed you too. My friends are in danger. I need you to fill this place with water and then do your thing." Yue nodded, raising her arms as a big wave answered her call. She raised her hands down and the wave fell. Water reached a few inches above his ankles He drew his sword and shield and ran into the fray as fast as he normally would since Yue created a path exclusively for him. Sun was surprised when he arrived, followed by a water woman of ten feet tall.

"Dude! I didn't think you would literally do that!" He said, ducking a slash and counterattacking with a series of powerful blows from his staff. Jaune blocked a gunshot with his shield and blocked a series of attacks from some of the grunts while Yue slashed them with long nail-like claws made of ice. Blake leaped from behind them, rushing towards Torchwick. Sun followed her, leaving Jaune and Yue to deal with the rest of the grunts. They were hardly a challenge, but they had strength in numbers. Sun and Blake were having some trouble of their own, so he turned to Yue.

"Clear me a path!" With a quick motion of an arm, she did as he ordered. He then jumped right over Sun, pumping aura on his legs, and managed to bash his shield on Torchwick's chest, quickly rolling back as Blake dashed towards the criminal, delivering series of slashes once his guard was down. Then she backed up, allowing Torchwick to regain his balance and shoot upwards. They heard the sound of metal breaking and looked up in time to see a big container of Dust falling on their heads. They ducked, Sun ending right in front of Torchwick. Before the criminal could shoot, they heard a new voice.

"Hey!" Sun used the distraction to leap out of the way. Jaune, Blake, and Torchwick recognized the voice and the scythe. "Get away from our teammates!" Ruby said from a rooftop, Crescent Rose extended and ready for action. Weiss stood by her side, Myrtenaster in hand. Penny stood behind them with a worried expression.

"Oh, hey Red. Isn't it past your bedtime? And you brought a Schnee with you? Must be my lucky day." Jaune readied his sword and shield.

"As if we would let you touch her." He snarled.

"Ruby, are these people your friends?" Penny asked, face unreadable.

"Penny, stand back!" Using her moment of distraction, Torchwick shot the ground between Ruby and Weiss, causing a little explosion that threw both girls back. Blake was momentarily shocked until she felt the air around her get heavier. The water that covered her feet was forming small waves that crashed violently. She looked at Jaune and her suspicions were confirmed, if his temporary lack of irises and pupils were anything to go by. She grabbed Sun's arm and made a motion to run.

"Move!" She said, in time to see her leader mutter some words she couldn't listen. He floated barely two feet above the ground. Ruby noticed as well because she tried to stop Penny from getting down. The redhead girl hesitated, but still got closer to the edge. Then hell broke loose.

And it came like a storm.

Came...

Jaune's POV

Some say the world will end in ashes. Water is often underestimated. Water gives life, but can equally claim it back so easily. Power flows through my veins, filling me with the energy that I needed to act. And when I ask for assistance, it easily came.

"Vehemenns tempestas. More than a show of power, it will not only look menacing, but I also have the perfect incantation to link with it." Said a voice that I had heard before, but certainly wasn't Vladimir's since, first of all, wasn't even a male voice. "Oh, I apologize. Vladimir deems me as someone who can be of more help in your current situation. You can call me Hama."

"Vehemens tempestas," I repeated, my voice being the only thing heard as dark, heavy clouds, formed above the docks. Rain poured down soon after, strong enough to soak everything and everyone. Thunders also made themselves present, announcing the possibility of lightning to strike. "With all due respect, why? I thought he was supposed to be my mentor." I asked mentally, uncertain of what she possessed that was lacking on my predecessor. I slowly descended towards the ground, a circle untouched by water formed around me.

"You are fighting around water, young man. He, for once, never did that. I, however, had an affinity with the element when I wore the mantle. Many of the spells related to water and ice were of my creation. I stuck to them so often, people thought it was my actual semblance. That allowed me to live peacefully. Whether you like it or not, I'm here. And while our distraction proved itself effective, I believe something more... fierce should do the trick." I couldn't agree more. Many grunts had already recovered, and their backup arrived. The only thing that kept them from attacking were Yue, who never stopped fighting, and the occasional shots from Ruby, Sun, and Blake and also Weiss's dust attacks. There were also powerful beams of green lights that took down two Bullheads before they could shoot me. I could only assume Penny or Sun were the sources of that. "A fair warning, this one will be quite draining."

"Syreni Cantio," I said, Hama's voice merged with mine for those brief seconds. There was a piercing, melodic cry coming from apparently nowhere. Then whispered chanting. Hama told me to raise my hands and I quickly obeyed. "Stasis." The water, which now was over most people's knees, calmed down. The rain stopped mid air. No sound was heard despite scared breaths and the mysterious chanting. The gunshots had stopped and I had dismissed Yue due to my stamina being drained. I would need every single part of my aura to keep myself from falling apart. Then a scream, a man was dragged into the water. The White Fang members were terrified as the chanting got louder and louder, and more of their comrades disappeared underwater.

"Don't just stand there, you imbeciles! Kill the boy!" Torchwick said, firing a shot from his cane. Before I could do a thing about the projectile coming towards me, Hama reacted. My sword and shield were basically discarded as she took control. A few movements of my hands and the water between the projectile and myself raised like a wave, freezing in place and creating a barrier. Before I could ask how she did that, Hama promptly answered me.

"Did Vladimir explained to you the concept of elemental affinities?" She noticed my confusion and proceeded. "Usually every apprentice has an affinity with an element. Spells for that element come easier and can be translated into movements rather than words. Other spells might be even nonverbal. My affinity is water, and while I'm with here I can share my power with you." I asked her what was my element. She twirled my body, creating a wave that wiped some enemies away. "Certainly not water, I assure you. You're too reckless, stubborn. Usually, it's the element that comes easier for you. What was the first spell you cast?" I recited the words mentally, as some rock shards raised from the ground and pinned an attacker to a nearby wall. "Earth it is." I felt my head becoming foggy, but I struggled to remain composed. "It's time. Your body won't hold much longer. The following spell is my creation. It works with more than an element, and can even be used on objects and animals. Sometimes even Grimm." I bit back a mental curse, not being able to hold for much longer. "Fine, I understand. Youngsters and their impatience..."

"Oppugno!" With that single word, the fight was won. The chanting turned to screaming as the water took shape of humanoid creatures that threw themselves into the criminals, dragging them down before freezing in place, trapping those under their grasp. The rain kept falling, heavier and fiercer. Torchwick could only barely manage to escape the grasp from the creatures, climbing up a building to get out of their reach. A Bullhead appeared to rescue him, but I couldn't do a thing to keep him from escaping. Hama still held control over my body and despite the aid from the creatures, many of the grunts still tried to attack me. She moved fluidly, moving my body in what looked like a dance, but at the same time using the water to pin enemies to the ground, push them back or simply knock them out. It was fascinating and exhausting, for my body isn't used to such pressure. Finally, there was no one left to fight against, and with a swift move the water retreated back to the ocean and the dark clouds dissipated. Feeling myself in control of my body again, I collapsed into my knees.

Knees...

Normal POV

The instant he fell to his knees, his friends leaped down there to aid him. Ruby was the first to reach him due to her speed and helped him to stand properly.

"John, what was all of that?!" Ruby asked, partially excited, but mainly scared.

"Hama..." It was all the boy could mutter about. Before Ruby could ask who or what was "Hama", the others arrived.

"Are you okay? Please tell me you're okay." Blake said, inspecting him for wounds. He could only smile weakly.

"I've been worse. Thanks, partner." The way she looked at him made him feel bad, he obviously had not been able to reassure her.

"Don't you do that again, you dolt. You could've been killed." Weiss said, though her words lacked venom and her eyes were filled with worry.

"Sorry." He looked at Weiss and Blake. "So I'm guessing everything is okay between you two?" Said girls looked to each other, unsure of what to say. "Come on, I didn't almost die for you two to be this hesitant." Both girls glared at him. "Okay, too soon. Got it." He looked at Sun and Penny, who had been left out. "And thanks to you two as well. I don't know who did that green bean of light, but that really helped."

"That wasn't me," Sun said, scratching the back of his head. "But dude, you were like, crazy! Is that your semblance?"

"Yeah, sure. A little bit of dust, also." He lied, but even he knew that he could not find a much more reasonable explanation without sounding insane or revealing his status as the Apprentice. Fortunately, they were too worried to think much about it.

"Neptune would freak out if he someday fights you." Jaune smiled since Sun had told him and Blake about his partner, who was afraid of water. "I think I would freak out if I had to fight you!" They heard sirens, indicating that someone had called the police about the explosions.

"I called them," Weiss said. "There should be an ambulance as well."

"I don't think I'll need them. Sun, would you help me? I don't think I can walk on my own." Receiving an immediate nod from the Faunus boy, they went outside as the police already entered the place and began moving the unconscious men and freeing those who were trapped in the ice, which looked like a living ice sculpture.

"Are you sure you don't need help?" Ruby asked. "You suffered from aura exhaustion barely a week ago."

"She's right. At least have a doctor get you checked." Blake said, receiving support from Weiss of all people.

"Guys, I'm fine seriously..." He struggled to keep his eyes opened, and Sun felt his friend's body was about to give in. "I'm just... so tired..." Unconsciousness met him once again, but he was able to hear a few shouted words before drifting off.

"Don't you dare to do this with me again!"

Again...

Location: Arkend. Almost five hours later. Royal study.

The study was dark, lit by a few candles and the pale moonlight from the windows. Bookshelves filled with important books, maps and tomes were symmetrically disposed against the walls. A large ebony desk was the main focus of the room, filled with important papers and documents. The study's door was knocked twice. After a moment, the black haired man looked up from the important document he was thoroughly interested in and spoke firmly.

"I thought I had ordered that no one was to disturb me." The door opened hesitantly, revealing the face of a man. A servant, clearly. One of his personal servants, and one of his favorites, though he would never admit it out loud.

"I'm aware of your request, my King. Forgive me, but there is someone wishing to speak to your majesty." Said "king" raised an eyebrow.

"At this time? What couldn't possibly wait for tomorrow?" He asked in a chilling tone.

"She was very imperative, my King." At the pronoun "she", his second eyebrow rose.

"Let her in." The servant made a reverence before making way for said woman to enter. She wore a long red dress. Dust sewed into the fabric, creating beautiful patterns. Her dark, charcoal hair contrasted perfectly with her pale complexion and fiery amber eyes.

"Sorry for the uncalled meeting, your majesty. Unfortunately, there are important matters that need to be... discussed." She glanced at the door, that was now closed. The King got up from his seat, taking the woman's hand and kissing it lightly.

"Cinder, what do I owe the honor of your lovely presence?" He asked. "Our Lady has not requested our presence, has she?"

"Of course not, dear Michael. I just acquired an information that will be of your great interest." She said sensually, pressing a hand against his hard chest. There was an object in between. He grabbed it, finding a compacted scroll. He pressed the middle button and it opened. There was a video promptly displayed, waiting to be played. He watched with attentive eyes.

"You found the Apprentice. I'm sure our Lady will be satisfied." She chuckled, pressing a hand against his cheek.

"She certainly will, but I thought you might be interested to know that our little Apprentice goes by the name of Jonathan Beauregard." His eyes widened ever so slightly.

"You found them." The man was no fool. On the following day after the massacre, years ago, he had organized a "rescue" mission on Azure lake. The lack of a bullhead on the depths of the lake had told him enough. "You actually found them!" She chuckled at his excitement, a glint of actual amusement in her eyes. "I can finally finish this." He said, his excitement mixing with a much darker intent. Suddenly the glint in his eyes was gone, he turned around, brushing her hand from his face. "But I'll never be able to get a hold on the boy as long as Ozpin is in there."

"True. However, the Vytal festival is coming up. If my plan goes accordingly, there will be nothing to hold you back for much longer." She said, somehow lifting his hopes up. She circled around him, meeting his eyes once more. "You could go to Vale as an act of diplomacy, protected by your title. You can be of help when Vale gets attacked, help the survivors." She whispered in his ear. "And when Vale falls, they will turn to your help. The main council will see this as an act of selfless altruism. They will give you the seat that was destroyed." He smiled darkly.

"Will you be by my side, then?" He asked, facing the powerful woman, inches from each other.

"A Queen of ashes is still a Queen after all." She smirked playfully.

"And what is a Queen without a King?" She rolled her eyes, much to his disappointment. She grabbed his head by his chin.

"A Queen." She answered simply. His disappointment turned into amusement, however, as she came closer. "But that can be arranged in time."

"Certainly." With a flick of her wrist, the candles lit off.

No one dared to bother them.

References from Avatar, the last Airbender; Harry Potter; X-Men; Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas.

Next Chapter: April 8th.