Sorry for missing the deadline! Got sick right after the last chapter got posted. But, being persistent, I attempted to write the next chapter(s), so they might not be as good as they might be if I hadn't gotten sick. Just bear with me. And a response to an error I was notified of before: Anassin is intentional, not accidental. Also, I am going to South Carolina during Spring Break. I'd have known before, but...well, nobody ever tells me anything, but I suppose that's what comes of never coming out of my room. So, without further ado, the next chapter of Thorns! Enjoy!

After the tears had dried, Winter had accepted the prostheses.

It hadn't been without a fight, however. Weiss felt so sorry for her. She had tried and tried and tried to convince the doctors to try and fix her, but eventually conceded defeat and requested for the cybernetic replacements. She knew what she was getting into, but she wanted to walk, and she never would if she didn't accept the offer. Still, even as she watched the surgeons and the technicians implant the highly-advanced cybernetic limbs onto her sister's body, she knew that Winter would be okay. She would recover, she would get used to the soft clank when her metallic feet touched the floor, she would get used to not being able to feel her legs moving beneath her as she ran and jumped and swum. Winter was resilient and persistent, and she was a Schnee. Nothing would get in the way of her goal of being a Huntress.

She was just glad Ironwood was willing to go along with the deal she had proposed.

"Madame Schnee?"

Weiss looked away from the observation window and focused on the man dressed in a surgeon's scrubs. He held a clipboard and wore a mask over his mouth and nose. "Yes?"

"Were you aware that these are military grade prosthetics?"

"I am, yes," Weiss answered, looking back toward Winter on the operating table. At this point, the operation was almost complete.

"Alright. The other doctors are saying she'll need at least a week or two of therapy and training in order to effectively use her cybernetic enhancements. Will this be a problem?"

"She will likely need an explanation on her absence for when she returns to Signal in a couple of days. I will also need to return to Beacon, so I will explain what happened to her teachers personally."

"Wait, ma'am, you said you would be returning to Beacon?"

"I did."

The doctor scratched the back of his head. "You will need a steward, ma'am. Someone who knew what to do with your company."

She nodded. She had been thinking about that when she could get her mind off of the larger blonde girl she was in love with. Her father had a secretary who he always trusted to manage the company when he was away. She would still be here, of course, but her office was probably moved or she was promoted or something. She would have asked father, but...well.

"Would you happen to know where Mrs. Verdegreene is, Doctor?"

"Yes, ma'am. The secretary's office is about midway between your office and your study. Mrs. Verdegreene will likely still be there."

"Alright, thank you. Goodbye. Notify me when the operation is complete."

"Yes, ma'am."

Weiss departed then, heading for Mrs. Verdegreene's office.

On the way, she heard footsteps behind her. She suddenly felt herself being scooped up by strong arms, then spinning, spinning, spinning, and she couldn't help but squeal and giggle in glee at the sudden surprise.

"Hey, Weiss," Yang said with a smile. She'd said the name as if it sated a desire.

"Well, aren't you happy!" Weiss reached up and yanked Yang's face down so she could give her a kiss on the forehead.

"How couldn't I be as long as you're around?" Yang replied happily, the two touching their foreheads together.

"Oh, stop," Weiss chuckled. Yang set her down gently and clasped her hand.

"So where are you going, snowflake?"

"I'm headed to the secretary's office to speak with Mrs. Verdegreene. I need a steward to manage the business while I'm at Beacon, and she's a trusted friend of my father."

"We going back next week?"

"A day from now, but yes."

"Okay. I'll walk you there, if you want."

Weiss nodded in reply to Yang's offer and the two lovers set off once again, proudly holding hands as they marched the halls to the destination. They conversed as they walked.

"How are you feeling about..." Weiss began, "...about Ruby?"

Yang tensed beside her, her hand tightening around Weiss's. Yang's happy demeanor sank back into the depths once again.

"Are you alright?"

"I still don't have any idea how to feel. I mean, from what Blake was saying, Ruby is working with the White Fang, right? A year ago, I would have dragged her to a jail cell and locked her up there. But now, I don't know. Maybe she got brainwashed or something. Or memory loss. Remember how the photo said "Can't Remember" under Blake's face? Maybe that's because she forgot everything. Or some things. I don't know. I think maybe she survived the explosion and they found her before us. Like Blake said. And maybe they lied to her, exploited her loss of memory."

Weiss nodded. A feasible theory, but there were so many questions. Too many questions. Too few answers. She knew now that Ruby was alive. She also knew that she killed her father. She had killed him to get to her. That must be the wilted rose! Ruby is the wilted rose that still has thorns, a rose that can still draw blood after it's shriveled. Dust, why hadn't she thought of it?

"But maybe I'm wrong. Maybe Ruby is fully aware of what she's doing. Maybe she knows she's killing these people because the White Fang turned her into a murderer. I hope that we can somehow find her. Maybe then we can find some answers."

They arrived a moment later, and they stopped. "Here's your stop."

"Do you want to come in with me?" Weiss asked, looking up into Yang's eyes.

"No. I'd rather...go...help Blake, or something. I need to go clear my head."

Weiss nodded in understanding and leaned up to give Yang a kiss on the lips, and the taller of the two leaned down to return the favor, a quick, tender peck. They embraced for a moment before Weiss moved to the door and said, "Bye. I love you."

"I love you, too." Yang said with an attempted smile and a small wave. Weiss waved back and then entered the room, leaving Yang in the hall.

"Madame Schnee! I had no idea you were coming, otherwise I'd have cleaned up my office some!"

The voice spoke with an accent that rolled the "R"s and turned "Th" to "Z" as well as "W" to "V." The woman who sat at the messy desk across the room was the owner of that voice. Monica Verdegreene was a beautiful woman, with dark hair, coffee-colored skin and straight, glossy, dark brown hair. She had striking green eyes for whom she was known for, appearing almost crystalline, like emeralds cut into little rings so that they might catch the light in such a way that they glistened in the sun. She was dressed in a pristine, impeccable white suit jacket and skirt, with a black tie and two earrings embedded with small emeralds that matched her eyes. She leaned back, smiling pleasantly, her hands clasped on her lap. "I understand Ironwood has arrived?"

"He has. But I'm not here for that." Weiss moved to a seat across from Verdegreene, asking, "Mind if I take a seat?" Verdegreene bowed her head and gestured with one hand, and Weiss took a seat. She continued.

"I must return to Beacon Academy tomorrow to continue my classes there. Winter is to stay here and undergo therapy and training for her cybernetics for the next two weeks, then return to Signal Academy. Can I confide in you to watch over the business while I am away for my studies, Mrs. Verdegreene?"

"You may relegate the responsibilities to me, Madame, as your father had before you. You can return to your classes without fear."

Weiss smiled. As trustworthy as ever. "Thank you. I will ensure you are compensated for this."

"Do not bother. I understand you need this, so I will not require a pay raise from you. Consider this a favor."

"Thank you. You are a saint."

"I am not a saint. I am simply a secretary, hired to help run the most powerful business in the world."

"Well, thank you again, secretary. I must go and make the arrangements for my flight back to Vale and prepare for the trip back. Have a good day."

"The same to you, Madame."

Weiss stood and walked to the door, exiting the room with one final "thank you" before closing the door and heading off to her room to pack for the return to the academy.

—

A nice jog around the resort on a cobblestone path was exactly what Yang needed.

She hadn't gotten fresh air in here days and was beginning to miss it. It had cleared her head just as she had hoped, only to have a million questions flood her brain.

Was it truly Ruby who had assassinated Mr. Schnee? Was she working for the White Fang? How did she survive the blast? How did she fall into the White Fang's claws?

Could she be redeemed?

She shook her head. She couldn't worry about that. She needed to stop asking questions and start taking action. It was about time they took the fight to the enemy; they hadn't done that since Ruby died.

No, since Ruby went missing, Yang reminded herself.

She wondered for a moment. Had Ruby been brainwashed, or did she have a damaged memory and she was being lied to? She decided to go with the latter; it would take more than simple brainwashing to turn her against her own sister and her teammates. Yang picked up the pace into a run, trying to exert herself more. The three of them—Weiss, Blake, and herself—were returning to Beacon tomorrow, and when they did that, Yang would start working hard to find answers. She would do as much as she possibly could to right this situation. She would find Ruby, and she would bring her back to the light, kicking and screaming if need be.

Because she promised Dad she would protect her. She promised Ruby she would protect her.

She promised herself she would protect her.

—

The redheaded, mascara-wearing crime lord continued his eternal jabbering as he always did when he was meeting with the White Fang leaders.

Anassin always hated it when Roman Torchwick went on his charismatic tirades. He did one every single meeting and as much as the Faunus elders loved it, she hated it.

As much as she would love to simply leave the room, Mistress was here and she was expected to be her bodyguard. She wasn't allowed to fail Mistress.

Mistress herself was actually sitting atop a throne on a raised platform simply hovering in the air. Anassin was standing off to the side of it, hidden in the shadows. She had decided to wear her hood when talking to Mistress, and kept her head bowed to keep her face in shadow. Something told her that Mistress would not like to see that her face had mended.

She was also trying not to look at Mercury, who was stationed on the other side of the throne. Every fiber of her being burned with unmatched hatred when she saw him. He was so smug. So obnoxious. So irritating. He was currently trying his hardest to force her to act out and embarrass Mistress in front of all these people. And, oh, Grimm, she was tempted to just draw Mystique and put a bullet between his eyes.

"And what is your plan to carry this out, Roman?" Mistress's voice pierced through her thoughts and drew her attention to the conversation at hand. Damn, she hadn't been listening!

"My plan is this: the little project we've been working on will work best when there are no defenses." Roman spoke up, facing directly toward Mistress. He continued. "Problem is, we've got two different defense ministers of this kingdom here. But if they were out of the way...we could send in Colossus to do its job. So I propose this: we assassinate the General and the Headmaster."

The statement sent murmurs throughout the White Fang elders, but Roman was unfazed. "Killing them would send the Atlesian military and the Huntsmen and Huntresses reeling. They wouldn't be able to pull themselves together to fight The Colossus back in time to keep it from doing the task it was designed to do. So, that's where our little assassin comes in."

Anassin had to force herself not to groan. She was alright with Mistress sending her to kill a target...but Roman? Two times he'd sent her to kill something and two times he somehow made a mistake and she had to fight her way out.

"We send her in to kill the Headmaster first. Make sure his body is left all nice and tidy for the person who eventually discovers him. Maybe leave a little rosebud on his desk. Then we send her to kill the General. He'll be in the building across from the academy, the security building. Send Red up there to kill him, bring her out, and then we send the Colossus to...take care of business. Sound like a fine plan?"

"One question, Roman," Mistress said in boredom, "What will come after we send in the Colossus?"

"That was already settled, Cinder, and you were there to make the plan."

Anassin sighed. Yet again, she was gonna be dispatched. She would love to just have a day to herself so that she could actually give Peridot a true lesson on literacy. Perhaps after the mission, then, if her adopted Elven sister was up for it.

"When do you propose the assassinations be performed?"

"I figure around midnight tomorrow night. It should work out nicely. I hear the new president of the Schnee Dust Company just carried out a deal with the General to get her own private army. Clearly, someone feels threatened. The public will know that, if even the late Mr. Schnee isn't protected, neither are they. Widespread panic and total chaos will ensue. A massive Atlesian dreadnought flys in to stop the riots and the panic by using lethal force. Other kingdoms are taken by surprise and retaliate. They attack Atlas, sparking an all-out war that will let us seize the power we rightfully deserve."

The Faunus elders were practically cheering the crime lord on from their seats. His statement was finished. "Any more questions?"

None at all.

"Good! So, let's get to work. Cindy, bring Little Red down and send her to start getting ready. She's got a big task ahead of her."

The platform lowered at Mistress's behest, and Roman moved toward them. "Alright, Red. Go get briefed on the operation. I've already got the lieutenant and Red Bull there working on the insertion and operation schematic in the briefing room."

Anassin begrudgingly nodded, saying, "Yes, sir," and slipped around him, heading for the location specified by the cocky crime boss.