Blake's footsteps rung softly beneath her as she ran along the rooftops of Vale, occasionally jumping the gap between houses and edifices. The chilly air of the night brushed against her skin, making her regret not changing her outfit. Leather was good for combat, but it offered little protection against the weather of her homeland.
More than once she had to stop in her tracks to listen, her cat ears springing to attention atop her head. She wasn't sure who would follow her, how and why they would do it, but she couldn't risk the possibility of that happening. One little intrusion and their whole operation would come crashing down on them like a broken dam.
Not that she had much emotional investment in the rebellion – or reclaiming of the throne; whatever Weiss wanted to call it. Blake thought whoever ruled Vale mattered little, at least to her and her kin. She doubted Weiss would do much for the faunus.
Yet there were other people involved, people she cared about who had become fugitives and enemies of the crown. Ruby, Yang, Ozpin, even Sun. She couldn't bear to see them demonized and do nothing about it.
And there was also the fact that she didn't like Cinder.
At all.
She came to a halt on top of a noisy, broken down tavern. Light poured from its window, accompanied by the noise of many drunken men and women. She twisted her nose at the scent of alcohol before dropping to the ground with grace. After a moment of consideration and wrapping a ribbon around her ears – much to her displeasure – Blake entered the tavern with her head hanging low.
The stench was even worse inside. It made her almost drop to her knees, and her eyes watered up in reaction. She waved her hand in front of her face and looked around bitterly, until she found a familiar face on a table at the corner of the establishment.
"Blake!" Sun smiled at her as she took her seat. "Thought you'd never show up."
"I didn't want to be followed," she explained shortly. "Ugh. Could you have chosen a nastier place to meet?"
"What? Oh, sorry. I think my sense of smell is halfway dead because I hang out here too often," Sun chuckled. "Anyways. Let's get to the business. Here at the guys I told you about."
He pointed to his two companions, who had been drinking quietly while they conversed. One of them had pale white skin, with red hair covering his right eyes, while his left eye was free, with strange red markings around it. The other one was dark-skinned with yellow eyes. A huge sword hung on his back.
"Hello," the red-haired one waved at her. "Name's Scarlet. The big one is Sage."
"Hey." Sage contributed shortly, before taking another drink of his beer.
"Nice to meet you," Blake looked from them to Sun with an accusatory glint in her eyes. "And you can help us how…?"
"Lady, did you miss the humongous sword Sage's got on his back?" Scarlet asked indignantly. "And these?" He fumbled with his belt below the table, then raised a cutlass and a pistol. "These are pretty dangerous. Good for dethroning witches."
"What Scarlet means," Sun cleared his throat. "Is that they are more than willing to help your cause. He's got a bad history with women, especially dangerous ones, like Fall. As for Sage… he likes pummeling people."
"That's not very funny," Sage noted, laying his cup down gently on the table. "I am not fond of the idea of tyrants ruling over anyone, and Cinder Fall sounds to be the worst of them. Jumped right out of the fairytale books – evil, evil witch. That is why I wish to help."
"He likes pummeling people," Scarlet shrugged. "And, yeah, women don't like me very much. Well, the joke's on them, because the sentiment goes right back."
Blake raised an eyebrow at him, then nodded towards the door. Sun signaled his understanding, then followed her out of the tavern, leaving Scarlet and Sage drinking alone, the latter looking vastly displeased by his companion's attitude.
Once they were outside, Blake turned to Sun and crossed her arms, making it clear how she felt about the meeting.
"Sage was being serious, you know?" Sun said hesitantly. "Me and Scarlet, we just like to joke around. He's not brainless. In fact, he's smarter than the two of us put together."
"Alright. Suppose I take your word for it," Blake sighed. "Why should I trust them? Cinder is powerful and dangerous, but she values her allies – like Sustrai and the White Fang. You've already given Scarlet and Sage more information about the rebellion than you should have. They could go to her and…"
"They wouldn't do that!" Sun interrupted angrily. "I can't believe you would say something like that! They're my friends, Blake. I would take a bullet for them, and they would do the same for me."
"They are human," Blake hummed thoughtfully. Sun wasn't too fond of humans, so for him to vouch for two of them so loyally… "Alright. They're in. I'll keep you informed, and you'll act as their leader."
"Heh."
"Don't let it get to your head," she rolled her eyes. "Oh, and if anything bad happens, you'll be the one held accountable."
"Expected that. Always rainbows and cheers with you, Lady Belladonna."
Blake waved him off playfully, then walked away, blending into the shadows. She heard Sun opening and closing the door of the tavern behind her, then unwrapped the ribbon around her ears.
Nobody would be seeing her for the rest of the night.
"This was a stupid idea."
The sound of the blizzard was fierce around them, but Ruby still managed to pick up her sister mumbling at her side. Yang's body irradiated heat, almost melting the snow under their feet. Couple with Weiss' magic, it made their journey back to Vale much, much easier.
"What?" Ruby asked quietly, briefly lowering her scarf from her mouth.
"Bringing Nora along," Yang clarified, gesturing over her shoulder. "It's too many people to be taking through this weather. And Penny's just a kid."
When Ruby, Weiss and Yang had declared their intention to return to the city, Nora had insisted they would come to. Her reasons were unclear at first, but she argued that she couldn't let her friends go alone to fight Cinder. Ren came along, with the same resolve, though he spoke more with his action than his words.
They were less than thrilled when Penny said she would be going too. Apparently, Nora and Ren had intended to leave her in the house – they wouldn't take more than a month or two, they said, and there was plenty of food in stock there. But the construct had put her foot down and argued until they were forced to agree with her decision.
"We'll be fine. You and Weiss are doing a great job. I'm not even shivering or anything," Ruby said. "And the more people we have, the better. I know Weiss was happy that they volunteered."
"Pff. Lady Snowflake would be happy if a mice offered to help her." Yang noted sarcastically.
Ruby flinched, hoping Weiss hadn't heard that. Luckily, she was walking in front of them, out of earshot.
"But you have a point," Yang said. "Penny's tougher than she looks, I think. And we both know Nora is a demon with that hammer of hers."
"Yikes." Ruby gritted her teeth, remembering some ugly memories.
"And Ren's awesome, too. You know, this rebellion just sounds way too good, Ruby," Yang smiled. "Between those three, and me, and Blake, and you… Cinder doesn't stand a chance."
Ruby looked away and pulled her scarf back to its previous position. Yang frowned and leaned closer, inspecting her sister's face carefully. She couldn't quite tell what, but something was wrong with Ruby.
"Ruby, are you alright?" She asked. "You seem strange."
"M-me?" Ruby shook her head. "No. I'm fine."
"You don't look fine," Yang sighed. "Look, Ruby. You practically came back from the dead. That can't be an easy thing to go through. If you need someone to talk to, I'm here."
"Alright," the redhead nodded. "But I'm fine. Promise."
Yang hung back, not satisfied with the conversation, but decided to let the matter go, at least for now. She caught Weiss looking over her shoulder, specifically at Ruby, almost as if she were accusing her of something.
"Hey! Lady Pale!" Yang yelled. "What are you looking at?"
Weiss rolled her eyes and turned away. Yang snickered and elbowed Ruby slightly on her side. The redhead just shook her head and sighed in dismay.
The escalating violence and treason in the city showed in Castle Vale, with soldiers bustling about their patrol routes with lances and pistols at the ready, their eyes peering every corner, as if every shadow could hide an assassin. Blake would have found it amusing, if it didn't hamper her mission.
She had to get into the castle. Not only that, she had to find a very specific room, Prince Neptune Vasilias', and do it without being noticed. She had rested after meeting with Sun and waited for the daylight to end, but it would still be a difficult task.
Her first obstacle was the outer wall, which rose roughly five meters up the ground and had no possible handholds for her to use. Either she passed through the front gate – unlikely – or she jumped really, really high.
"Front gate it is."
Blake skittered along the wall, staying outside the eyesight of the guards above, until she reached the gate. Four soldiers stood there, and unluckily for her, they were as attentive as their other colleagues. She wished she had brought someone to help her. A distraction would be very, very helpful. But since she didn't have anyone, she would have to rely on herself.
A tingling sensation ran down her spine, then her shadow separated from her, a dark, wavering version of herself. At her signal, it ran past the gate, then picked up a rock. A moment after, it tossed the object, hitting one of the guards on top of the wall.
A commotion started as the man toppled back and fell, hitting the ground hard. For a moment, Blake felt guilty, but once the guards at the front left running to aid, she shook that sentiment off and ran.
She wasn't dumb enough to assume she was safe yet, though. The guards would soon realize their foolishness and send some back to watch the entrance, and the rest would grow even more watchful. The situation could turn very, very bad if Cinder caught word of the guard's incident.
With that in mind, Blake stayed always in the shadow, hidden, almost becoming one with the darkness. She darted from shade to shade across the courtyard, getting closer to the castle itself, until she was standing next to it.
The stone the castle had been built with wasn't as refined at the outer wall's, and so several handholds were available, and in plain sight. Blake had never climbed before in her life, but she figured it couldn't be too hard. She had, after all, the natural agility of a cat.
She reached for the first handhold and lifted herself up, her muscles straining with the effort. Not only did she have to hold onto the stone, she also had to pull her whole weight with her hand only. She went for the next one, but lost her grip on the first and fell.
She cursed quietly, now feeling foolish about her previous confidence. Of course climbing a castle wall wouldn't be easy, or else more people would attempt it. She took a deep breath and started again, taking her time, considering every move carefully in her mind before executing it.
It was an arduous effort, and she almost fell several times, but she was determined to get to the top. All the while as she climbed, she willed herself to be like a shadow, and the guards' eyes passed over her as if she wasn't there. After what felt like an hour, she reached a window and fell on her back on the floor of an empty hallway, just outside the area of a torch.
"Damn," she panted, exhausted. "I'm never doing that again."
She took a minute to recover, then stood up, not wanting to get caught by an unfortunate patrol. Weiss had drawn her a map of the interior of the castle before she'd left with Ruby, so Blake could get her bearings when she got inside. She fished it from the pocket of her pants and examined it, determining she was on the third floor, while Neptune should be on the fourth.
"Stairs," she murmured. "Gotta get to the stairs."
She drew her daggers, just as a precaution, and started moving. Unfortunately, she had no choice but to traverse the light of the torches and hope no one got on her way.
The silence of the castle was oppressive, broken only by the crackling of the torches on the walls. Shadows danced at the edges of Blake's vision, making the hair on the back of her neck stand up in attention, and despite the harsh cold of winter, she felt hot, even feverish – as if Cinder Fall herself was trailing right behind her, waiting for an opportunity to catch her and finish the job she had failed to do before.
Finally, she found the stairs, a sprawling collection of steps that connected every floor in the castle at its very center. A prime position to be caught at, but Blake didn't have any other choice. Every second she spent at the castle was a second she was in danger, and she wasn't eager about jeopardizing her luck by searching for another path.
She started to climb the stairs, but froze halfway through them as a sound echoed through the hallway she had been standing in just before. A man's laughter, crude and raspy.
"Well, what was I supposed to do?" Another said, clearly frustrated. "Damn faunus wouldn't leave my room. Was past dusk, and it still hadn't finished dusting the furniture. I had to do something."
"Of course, but you should have known better than to hit a rat, of all things," the other chuckled. "They look scrawny, but their bite stings. As you now know."
"Fuck you. And, anyway, I'm not the one who got the worst in the end. I'm not lying in a pit."
"That, I agree with."
Blake kneeled on the steps, ire and disgust bubbling inside her. Shadows gathered around her, crawling on her skin and sending shivers throughout her body. She bit on her own hand, finding it the only way to stop herself from storming back down the stairs to teach the men a lesson.
A minute passed, and the voices faded in the distance. Blake stood and started walking again, her thoughts clouded by her newly awakened feelings. If anyone had come her way, she wouldn't have noticed, but luck was still on her side.
At last, she reached the next floor, and after a brief moment of exploration, Neptune's room. She took a deep breath, focusing, and summoned a shadow of herself. It nodded wordlessly and walked at the door, passing through it. Then, she let go, and the world blurred around her, and suddenly she was standing inside the room.
Neptune was at his desk, writing a letter, still unaware of her presence. Blake walked behind him without making a noise, and wrapped an arm around him, covering his mouth with her hand. His eyes widened, and he pushed back, trying to force himself out of her hold.
"Stop squirming. You're going to alert the guards," Blake whispered. "I'm an ally of the Queen – Weiss Schnee, that is. I mean you no harm."
His resistance faltered, but he still seemed agitated.
"I will let go," she said. "But you must promise you won't make noise. It's in your best interest, anyway. You wouldn't want the Regent to learn I was in your room, no matter the circumstances."
For a moment, he was still, then he nodded. Blake released him and stepped back. Her hands flew to her daggers, just in case.
"You. You're, uh, Lady Belladonna," Neptune turned his chair around and faced her warily. His eyes rose to look at her faunus ears. "At least that's people called you before you tried to assassinate Weiss."
Blake's eyes narrowed in annoyance. "I never intended to assassinated anyone. I only fought back when she – never mind. It's not important."
"Sure," the prince said. "Why are you here? You're an enemy of the crown. Vale castle is the last place you should be."
"True. I've come here to meet you," she replied. "I might be an enemy of the crown, but the crown is in the wrong head right now. Summer Rose is a farce and a manipulator. She hides her true face from everyone – quite literally."
"What?"
With great patience, Blake began to explain the situation to Neptune. She left out the finer details, like how Ruby had learned of Cinder's true nature, and the circumstances of her reunion with Weiss. His face showed a mixture of astonishment and cautious disbelief.
"Well, that's a lot to take in," he said when she was done. "So, basically, Summer Rose is an evil witch that has taken the throne for herself by using magic and manipulation? And that Weiss is alive and planning a rebellion?"
"Yes," Blake nodded, thinking this was the part he got up and called for the guards. Luckily, she had a trump card. "Weiss gave me a piece of information, something that only she knows about you, so that you know you can trust me."
"Sure," Neptune smiled cockily, crossing his arms. "Go ahead."
"…You're afraid of water. As in, you are terrified by the very sight of it."
Neptune blinked once, twice, and cleared his throat, sitting straighter on his chair. "H-how do I help?"
Blake's lips parted in wonder. When Weiss had told her about Neptune's fear, she had thought it was a joke, or some kind of trick to get her caught when she got in the castle. But, lo and behold, it was true.
"We need someone inside the castle, someone who can keep us informed of Cinder's moves and intention," she explained. "You might here, but you're not really that close to her, so you'll have to get in contact with someone else. Lady Glynda Goodwitch."
"Oh," Neptune's face paled. "Sure. I'll do that… It's not as if she's intimidating or anything. But how exactly do I get her to trust me?"
"Give her this," Blake rummaged through her pocket again and retrieved a small golden badge. "Ozpin's. It has his symbol, and he had it with him when he escaped, meaning there's no duplicate anywhere."
"I thought she didn't like Ozpin?" He frowned confusedly.
"He says she liked Lady Rose even less."
"Alright. If you say so," Neptune shrugged. "Anything more?"
"No," Blake shook her head. She walked to the door. "Now I have to leave. Wish me luck."
"Wait-"
Before he could finish, she was in the hallway, merging with her shadow. She breathed in relief, but cut herself short. She still had one more thing to do before sneaking out of the castle.
"Your Highness," Blake whispered tiredly under her breath as she walked towards the stairs. "You had better be very grateful when you come back."
Yang stretched her arms above her head, her hands almost touching the ceiling of the cavern sheltering them from the cold. Even with her supernatural warmth, the blizzard had left her bones sore and drained most of her energy, so the group had decided to rest up for some time in a safe place. She was not only grateful for herself, but also for the others. She could only imagine how they were faring in the harsh weather.
"Hey," she approached Nora, Ren and Penny, who were gathered around a small campfire. "Are you warm? Want me to get the fire a little bigger?"
"This is good enough," Ren responded, nodding gratefully. "Thank you, Yang."
"My pleasure," the blonde smiled. "How are you holding up, Penny?"
Penny looked at her and shrugged. Nora was busy tinkering with her arm, finishing up the last repairs before it could be reattached.
"Again, I am so sorry I… did that…" Yang said, losing her voice halfway through the sentence.
"It's fine," Nora waved her off without looking at her. "Penny's not upset, so I'm not upset… too much."
Yang nodded somberly, then walked away from the campfire.
Weiss was sat down on the ground, leaning her back against a wall. Her eyes were closed, and her chest was rising and falling evenly. For a moment, Yang mused on the idea of waking her up, just to annoy her, but then decided to let the queen rest, at least for a little while. After all, if she bothered her at every opportunity, Weiss would quickly grow apathetic to her attitude – and that was something Yang was not willing to let happen.
The blonde walked to the entrance of the cave, where she found her sister. Ruby was standing up, her cloak drawn close around her, staring at the blizzard with a goofy smile on her face.
"Someone looks happy." Yang noted amusedly.
"W-what?" Ruby blushed and shook her head, as if that would somehow convince Yang that she was wrong. "N-no! I mean, I'm happy, but… but!"
"Hey, hey. Calm down," Yang raised an eyebrow at her. "I didn't say anything. Why are you so worked up?"
Ruby's cheeks somehow got even more red, but her lips kept closed tight.
"You shouldn't be standing so close to the blizzard without me or Lady Snowflake." Yang admonished.
"I'm fine," Ruby mumbled. "My cloak's warm."
"Alright," Yang shrugged, deciding to not press the matter. "But you should eat, at least. I have some of the bread we brought from Nora's. Here."
She offered a sizeable piece of the food to Ruby, who took it eagerly and immediately went for a bite. She winced as her teeth clashed against the cold, hard bread, but forced her way through it until she could chew properly.
"Now that that's taken care of," Yang smiled. "You are going to tell me what you were smiling about."
"Mmph!" Ruby spoke with her mouth full, then groaned in annoyance. A few seconds later, she managed to swallow. "No! I wasn't smiling about anything!"
"You are extremely defensive," Yang's eyes narrowed, and her voice took a deeper tone. "Tell me right now, little lady."
Ruby gulped, retreating into her cloak. Yang had very rarely used that voice, but when she did, she could never disobey her.
"A-alright," the redhead muttered. "Promise not to make fun of me?"
"Promise."
"I-I was…" Ruby blushed even harder. "I was thinking about Blake!"
Yang stared at her for a moment, then opened a huge smile.
"You promised not to make fun!" Ruby shouted angrily.
"I'm not!" Yang giggled. "It's just that… you're adorable. I mean, did you really think I didn't know?"
"Didn't know about what?!"
Yang frowned, thinking that, if Ruby's face was any indication, she should be taking the conversation much more seriously. Because of that, she sat down, then gestured for her little sister to do the same. Ruby hesitated for a few seconds – during which Yang honestly feared she would run off into the blizzard, never to be seen again – then complied wordlessly.
"Alright, Ruby," Yang said calmly. "Let's talk frankly about this. No jokes. Clearly, you like Blake very much. You're close friends. But maybe it's more than that?"
"…Maybe," Ruby looked at the ceiling awkwardly. "Yes."
"Yes," the blonde nodded. "I figured that out a long time ago, before everything went to hell. It was kind of obvious, actually. But you're only noticing that now?"
"Well… This is weird, but…" Ruby squirmed a bit, still not looking at her. "When I was… away… I fell into a kind of trap. I dreamed of some pretty weird stuff. Raven told me that I was lured away, to dream a perfect world according to my own mind."
"Hmm," Yang tilted her head knowingly. "And that involved Blake?"
"Yeah. Before that, I had no idea I felt that way about her. For a while, I thought I was just going a little crazy, you know? Because of the whole dead, but not dead, thing?" Ruby leaned her head on her hands and sighed. "But then I woke up and I still want to… Uuuh…"
Yang contained her laughter and patted Ruby on the back. She had always wondered how Ruby would act when she found her first love, and this was pretty close to what she had imagined.
"You're not wrong for wanting to be with her, Ruby," Yang said. "And, trust me, I'm pretty sure Blake feels the same way about you."
"Oh," Ruby blinked. A moment later, she crossed her arms and glared at her sister. "You said you were going to stop joking!"
"I'm serious. Very serious," Yang smiled. "The first I'll do when I see her again is give her my blessing."
Ruby blushed, then took to devouring the rest of her bread hastily, seeing it as the only way out of the conversation. This time, Yang couldn't help but laugh out loud.
The redhead sat straighter and looked at her, her lips curving into a smug smile.
"You know what else was in my perfect dream world?" She asked.
"What?" Yang chuckled. "Flying unicorns?"
"You and Weiss."
Yang stopped laughing, her face becoming a mask of horror and disgust. Without another word, she got up and walked away.
"Heh," Ruby snorted. "The joke wasn't funny this time, huh?"
Two days after Blake's visit to Neptune, she found herself wandering the city at night, waiting until time enough had passed so she could sneak into the castle again and learn if he had managed to contact Glynda. She would have been content to stay in the hideout, reading from its library and conversing with Ozpin, but she felt restless there, though she couldn't quite pinpoint why.
The hideout was quiet, to say the least. With only Ozpin living there, it felt empty, hollow of life. The general's company wasn't unpleasant, but he couldn't match the energy that Ruby - and even Weiss - brought to it. Not for the last time, Blake wished the redhead hadn't left so soon after their reunion, and wondered when she would return to Vale. It had been almost two weeks, surely she was on her way back.
Unless something had gone wrong. Blake knew it was foolish to think like that, but with each passing day, she grew more pessimistic. She had never gone out of the city in her life, but just by looking, she could tell the blizzard was deadly. Weiss' magic could have faltered, or the Grimm could have attacked at an unfortunate time. The dangers were too many to be ignored.
Yet nothing had ever been accomplished by thinking the worst, so Blake refused to linger on those possibilities for too long. She occupied herself with wandering the city, sticking by the shadows, and learning all she could about everything in it.
An air of unease permeated Vale. It was almost tangible, like a spider's web wrapping around everyone inside it. The commoners didn't know what, but they knew something was wrong.
The Guard had become more active, at the orders of the Regent. Houses were searched every day, every corner inspected for signs of the disappeared queen Schnee, and dozens of faunus were captured in the process. Bodies of soldiers began to appear, displayed in public for all to see. The White Fang's retaliation was violent and merciless. Blake wondered how Cinder and Adam's alliance fared, if it still existed in any form.
With such chaos in the streets, rumors began to sprout, first modest, of little consequence, then they grew wild and spread everywhere. It brought Blake immense joy to know that most of them involved the Regent in some way or another, depicting her sometimes as a demon in disguise, and others as a woman driven mad by grief.
"I hear she's disgusted by the mere sight of the crown," a man said at the porch of a tavern, chatting with a few of his friends. Blake sat at the edge of the establishment's roof, listening intently. "Blames the queens for the death of her daughter."
"Please. The girl's not even dead," another interjected. "Folk say she was walking around town a couple weeks ago. Friend of my son claims she look as alive as anyone else, and, get this, she was carrying around that bloody scythe. It's the Red Reaper all over again."
"Saw her too. If you ask me, it's all a huge scheme by the Regent and that girl. They want the throne, and they're willing to kill the Schnees for it. Younger one had to run away to avoid the same fate as her sister's."
"Good riddance. Not like any of them ever did anything for us. Let the reds have a go at it. At least they're taking care of the faunus around here."
Blake sighed. Listening to these conversations always brought a bitter taste to her mouth. It was good to hear that hardly anyone was oblivious to what was happening in the city, but the topic somehow always turned to the faunus or Ruby, and Blake could count on her fingers the times they had been treated righteously.
She stood up, not wanting to listen anymore. Her eyes scanned the city slowly. It was broad daylight, so she couldn't very well walk the streets without drawing unwanted attention. She could try to blend in, as she was wearing her ribbon just for safety, but with the Guard being so throughout, she thought that would be far too risky.
As she thought of what to do next, something stopped her in her tracks. In a nearby rooftop, just a few houses to the left, stood a familiar figure, dressed in red and with a weapon attached to her back. Blake blinked and rubbed her eyes, sure that she was hallucinating, but when she looked again, she was still there.
"Ruby?" She muttered in disbelief, then started to walk in that direction. She jumped the gap from one building to the next, then looked up again. Ruby nodded at her and pointed down, signaling to the alleyway below, before jumping down there.
Blake's steps quickened, her mind racing wild. If Ruby was back, why was she here? Something must have happened if she had gone searching for her. Maybe Weiss was hurt, or their plan was compromised. Or she couldn't wait to talk.
Finally, the faunus dropped down, landing gracefully in the alleyway. Ruby stood a clear distance away from her, an odd smile on her lips, hands crossed behind her back. Blake raised an eyebrow at that. Nothing bad must have happened.
"You're back."
"Yep. Back for good!" Ruby waved at her. "How are you doing?"
"I'm fine," Blake nodded. "And glad you're here."
"Aw, Blake! No need to be sappy!" The redhead giggled. "Anyway, I wanted to find you as quickly as possible, so I just went looking. Sorry if you were busy. Were you busy with something?"
"No. I was just waiting, actually."
"Nice!" Ruby spun around cheerfully. "And where's the queen?"
Blake frowned and took a step back. Everything about the situation rang alarm bells inside her head. She looked Ruby up and down, trying to discern what was wrong – then it clicked. Something about those silver eyes, always so pure, but now staring at her with…
"Blake?" Ruby muttered, her shoulders dropping sadly. "Did I say something wrong?"
"Ruby," Blake said slowly. "Weiss was with you. Did something happen?"
"W-what?" The redhead's eyes widened. "Was she? I-I don't remember."
"You don't remember?"
"No. Ever since I came back, I've… Well, I don't feel very normal. My head's messed up."
And suddenly, Blake was reeling with guilt, feeling an urge to hug Ruby and tell her everything was fine.
"I think…" Ruby put the back of her hand against her forehead. "We need to find Weiss. Where's everyone? Maybe she-" She jumped forward and raised her hands, looking past Blake's shoulder. "Wait, don't-"
Blake spun around, just in time to see a knife soaring towards her head. She stepped aside, feeling air rush to her face as the blade flew millimeters from her nose. Then she looked aside and noticed Neopolitan marching towards her, twin knifes on her hands and a vicious smile on her lips.
"Ruby, run!" Blake yelled, then sprinted towards her friend, grabbing her by the wrist. Just then, a nauseous feeling came over her, as her hand felt something solid, but invisible, before Ruby's thin arm.
Ruby's form flickered, and suddenly, Emerald Sustrai took her place. "Neo, you idiot!" She yelled. "I had her!"
"Killed Roman," Neo answered shortly, her pink and brown eyes fixed at Blake with pure malice. "She'll pay."
Blake stood still for a moment, disoriented by the situation, then backhanded Emerald on her right cheek. The green-haired assassin was sent reeling back, her back slamming against the wall behind her.
Blake turned around and ran out of the alleyway, pushing a man out of her way, and reached for the house across from her. She jumped, then kicked against the wall for another boost, and reached for the roof. Her hand closed on the edge, and she pulled herself up.
Just as she got up, something dug into the back of her left shoulder. She fell on her face, her nose breaking and spilling blood. Hissing, she managed to get on her knees and distance herself from the edge. Blake looked over her shoulder and found a wicked knife embedded in her flesh.
"Ah…" She gasped. The world seemed to be spinning around her, and her stomach was making turns. For a moment, her eyes closed, her strength draining away quickly, but she struggled to stand again and began to walk.
She jumped, and almost didn't make it to the next building. Blood painted the rooftop as she rolled on it. Regardless, she powered through, hearing people shouting below.
This wasn't how she died. Not yet. Not this way. There was still a life for her, a purpose to fulfill.
The scent of roses invaded her nostrils, sweet, intoxicating, deathly…
When she came to, her heartbeat rang in her ears, and something was prickling the back of her shoulder. She felt numb, limped against a chair. Someone was behind her, breathing steadily.
"Don't move," Ozpin said. "I'm stitching your wound. One slight movement, and you might suffer permanent injuries."
"Mm," Blake mumbled. "Numb."
"Medicine. Powerful stuff," he explained. "Had to be, or else you wouldn't have stopped trashing. You lost a lot of blood, so that will also add to your faintness."
"Great. How did I get here…?"
Ozpin didn't respond immediately, taking his time to work on her wound diligently. Blake was too tired to be grateful, and she wanted answers more than anything.
"You were collapsed and bleeding on the top of a building. Sun found you, luckily before it was too late," he said. "He brought you here, then departed. Now, might I ask how this came to pass?"
"Emerald tricked me," Blake replied. "She looked like Ruby."
Ozpin froze for a moment. "She stole her body? Like Cinder did to Summer?"
"No. It was like… an illusion. She even sounded like Ruby," Blake shook her head. "I think she wanted me to lead her to Weiss, but Neopolitan ruined her plan. Wanted revenge for Torchwick. I touched Emerald, and the illusion faded."
"That explains the times I was framed before," Ozpin nodded. "Cinder has powerful allies."
"I doubt she's happy with them now, though."
They spent the next minutes in silence. Blake almost fell asleep as Ozpin closed her wound. When he finished, he stood and helped her turn around to sit properly in her chair. She almost fell to the side, so faint she was, but he caught her.
"You know why this happened, right?" He asked, sounding protective, like a father to his child.
"Mm. Because Neopolitan is a maniac." She answered tiredly.
"No. It's because you might as well have painted a target on your back. You might think you are furtive, but to attentive eyes, to our enemies' eyes, you stand out like a torch in the night," Ozpin corrected. "What did you think was going to happen? You go out there, day and night, claiming to have one task or another. But you've already done all that was asked of you. There's no need to put yourself in risk," he paused. "Unless you seek death on purpose. Is that it?"
"Maybe," she replied immediately, looking him in the eyes. Just as the words left her mouth, though, she remembered everything she had felt as she blacked out, that feeling of powerlessness, of futility, and despair over lost opportunities. "No."
"Then I suggest you stop. For your own sake."
Blake nodded mutely, staring at her lap. She heard Ozpin walking away, and slowly but surely, her eyes closed again.
"Congratulations," Cinder clapped slowly as she stared at Emerald and Neopolitan, who stood silent in front of her throne, like mice corralled by a cat. "Adam Taurus and his lackeys have been killing my men daily; Ruby Rose has risen from the grave and declared her intention to kill me; Weiss Schnne is nowhere to be found; and still, you've managed to put me in an ever fouler mood."
She jumped to her feet, and both of the assassins flinched in reaction. Cinder smirked bitterly, then raised Emerald's chin with her hand, staring her in the eyes. "I've grown fond of you. You're useful, and you don't ask too many questions. Maybe you're fooling me, but I sense that you might even like me a little," she said. "So, I will allow you an opportunity to explain yourself."
Emerald gulped, her fists opening and closing nervously. A drop of sweat ran down her forehead as heat emanated from Cinder in arduous waves. "As you commanded, I lured Belladonna into a secluded space, disguising myself as your – as Ruby Rose," she said. "I talked to her, asked her where the queen was. Apparently, she's with Ruby, and I was almost caught in my ruse, but I managed to convince her I was disoriented… or something like that. I was about to extract more information…" She looked sideways at Neopolitan. "When Neo attacked her. Things went to hell, and she escaped."
Cinder leered at her for a while, as if she could somehow tell if she was telling the truth or not, then backed off. Her eyes wandered to Neo. "Why?"
"She killed Roman." The multicolored assassin said, and despite her fearful posture, her voice was full of conviction.
"Ah. I understand. You wanted to avenge him," Cinder stepped closed, laying a hand on her shoulder. A smile formed on her lips. "I admire that loyalty. But, you see, I don't particularly care if Roman is avenged or not. I don't care if you were his daughter, whore, pet, whatever. What I do care about, is getting results," her tone grew deadly, the tip of her nose almost touching Neo's. "I've spent years of my life on conquering this kingdom, one move after the next, very, very carefully, and I never let myself be commanded by my feelings!"
She covered Neo's mouth with one hand, while the other was on her chest, carving a searing hole in it. The assassin's screams were muffled, but the hissing of the burning echoed in the throne room. Emerald stood aside, staring with fearful eyes.
A minute later, Neo stopped struggling, the life in her eyes fading quickly. Cinder let her fall to the ground, then beat her hands against her dress. "Apologies, Emerald. I lied," she said calmly. "I do allow myself to be commanded by my feelings, from time to time, as you just witnessed. I was very… upset. But I am only human, am I not?"
Emerald only nodded, not willing to risk drawing the witch's wrath to her.
"At least I now know the Schnne is with Ruby," Cinder shrugged, sitting back on her throne. "No doubt they're plotting to kill me. Who would have thought, even Belladonna is in on it."
"Do you want me to do something about it?" Emerald asked warily.
"No, you can rest and wait for my orders," the Regent smiled. "Ruby swore she would kill me. She sounded so sure of it, I must admit I was terrified, for a time. But, now?"
She crossed one leg over the other and leaned back, comfortable as a queen.
"Let her come. Then we'll see who the real Reaper is."
Cocky Cinder is second best Cinder. (Dead Cinder is best Cinder, if you're wondering)
This chapter had some blatant shipping in it. I tried to make it reasonable, but it's difficult to keep things in control when Ruby is involved. It's just so easy to make her romances all fluffly and stuff. And, well, Yang was involved too. So there's the lovely sister meddling too. I hope that part of the chapter didn't stick out badly compared to the general tone of the story.
Fun fact: I was planning to end this chapter with the final reunion of the Team, but I'll leave that for the next one. I just thought Cinder's little scene set the tone for what's next much better. (yes, expect bloodshed)
Fun fact 2: This was actually the first time I have ever killed Neo. I always kill Torchwick (and not because I hate him. I love him. I guess he's just an easy target for killing) and Neo just quietly fades into the background, unharmed. BUT NOT THIS TIME, YOU LITTLE MUTE PSYCHO!
Anyways, see ya'll next chapter. Hopefully I won't be a pathetic slug about writing it again.
- Zeroan