Weiss had put up with some grade A bullshit the past few weeks, from having to flee from her own kingdom to fighting a psychotic fire wielding murderer she had almost reached her limit, and Yang and Ruby's never ending argument wasn't inching her farther from her breaking point.

It was nearly midnight and the two were still at each other's throats, being stuck on a boat together for a whole day probably wasn't helping. They sounded like broken records, endlessly circling the same points and arguments in a self sustaining deadlock that would continue till one passed out from exhaustion, and judging by the circles forming under their eyes it would hopefully be soon, "Am I a bad teammate for thinking that?" Thought Weiss, she shrugged and turned her attention to the other two occupants of the bunkroom.

Mercury was lying on his bed on the bunk below Weiss. Constantly wiping the sand from his eyes, as he fought the relentless approach of sleep. He knew that it would be a bad idea to doze off in the middle of the sisters' argument over him. Though from the look in his eyes, this was one cat fight that he wasn't at all excited to watch unfold.

Blake leaned up against the wood wall on her upper bunk on the opposite side of the room as far away from the fight as possible. Weiss rolled her eyes as she over heard the wonder twins returned to the beginning of their argument and buried her head in her pillow in an attempt to block them out. Zwei, who was lying on the bed with her as she scratched behind his ear, let out a low whine and cuddled next to her. Weiss smiled at the corgi and gave him a belly rub, "This must be tough for you huh? Watching your two master's fight?" She thought sadly.

"I'm not a hypocrite! Neo's situation is completely different, and you're dodging the question! Why in all of Remnant should I trust him!?"

Yang ran her fingers threw her frayed hair and sighed with aggravation, "Are you even seeing my arm? If he was going to betray us would he really go through the trouble to make this?"

Merc shook his head groggily and chimed in, "Ruby you're better off with me here, you'll never find a mechanic as good as me outside Atlas. What are you going to do if you or anyone else here gets mutilated like Yang did? Ah...um...no offense Yang."

Yang shrugged, "None taken."

Ruby groaned in frustration, "Like I'd trust you with the life of ANYONE here! You and Emerald took advantage of my trust already, and I'm not letting it happen again!" She yelled, a fiery anger in her eyes that rivalled Yang's.

Merc, either from sheer tiredness or by just not giving a shit, ignored the venom in her voice and bluntly retorted, "Didn't you give Neo one of your famous 'Second Chances' speeches a few weeks ago? Yang's vouched for me, why won't you let me prove myself?"

Ruby looked as if she was about to burst, "Ya, of course she'd vouch for you after you practically kept her hostage for nearly two weeks! It's amazing the things Stockholm Syndrome will make someone say!"

That accusation seemed to be the last straw, Merc sat up immediately and gave her a piercing glare. Yang mouth dropped open, the realization of just how low Ruby's opinion on her had dropped since they last met fuelled the wild fire burning within her as she violently shook like an active volcano.

Blake leapt from their bed like, well a cat, and gracefully planted herself between the bickering siblings before their spat escalated into a fight that would sink their boat in the middle of the ocean. "Yang, you need to calm down, and Ruby that was completely out of line. Now apologize!" She commanded.

The aggravated teen scowled, "Oh so you're the leader now, huh? Since when did we establish that?"

The faunus groaned in frustration, "I'm not trying to be the leader!"

The redhead clenched her fist and finally lost her temper, "Of course you're not! A deserter like you could never be a leader! You're only taking Yang's side because you feel guilty about abandoning her!"

The cabin fell silent as everyone's attention turned directly to Ruby. Blake's jaw dropped wide open. Their leader stepped backwards and looked around at everyone in attendance, the expression on her face making it clear that she wished she could take those words back, "I-I need some air." She said defeatedly before making a dead sprint for the door.

"Ruby wai-" the slamming of the cabin door interrupted Yang's plea.

Blake sighed, "Stay here, I'm going to talk to her."

The blonde sister gave her partner a sad glance, "Blake I-"

The Fanus refused to look her in the eyes, "I should go now." She said to no one in particular before darting after her leader.

Yang let out an aggravated combination of a groan and a sigh, "If she thinks I'm staying put she's insane" the hot headed teen bolted after her partner and sister without a second thought.

Merc shook his head almost in sync with the sound of the door slamming shut behind her, "Are they always this bad" he asked, only half joking.

Weiss rubbed her temples to help alleviate the headache the last few minutes had given her, "No, I swear they are better when they're not on their periods."

Merc let out a tired laugh at the princess' joke. "For a rich girl you certainly don't seem to have a stick up your ass."

Weiss shrugged, "You should have talked to be when I first came to beacon. If it wasn't for Ruby I'd be every bit as stuck up as the petty nobles in Atlas. She may not be the most mature leader out there, but if there is one thing she's good at, it's bringing the best out of people."

Merc smiled, "I guess her and Yang have more in common then they realize."

Weiss chuckled, "Now if only they could see that we can put this fight to bed and get on with killing grimm" she said happily as she returned to rubbing Zwei's tummy.

The two sat in silence for a few minutes, the absence of the once endless fight and the other inhabitants of the boat, left them with not much more than small talk between them. Eventually Merc sighed and asked the heiress a question that he needed answered, "Weiss, do you trust me?"

The snowy haired girl paused a second before turning towards her former enemy, "Why do you ask me? Ruby is clearly the one you need to convince."

He shook his head, "That's true but what about you? Yang trusts me, Blake seems to atleast give me the benefit of the doubt, where do you weigh in?"

Weiss closed her eyes for a moment to get her answer ready before responding, "To be frank, I didn't make a habit of trusting anyone even before you helped Cinder drag us into this mess. Growing up amongst the Atlesian nobility, spending your childhood learning to navigate through their cloaks and daggers, their empty rhetoric, and their mazes of lies, it makes you jaded pretty quickly. A savvy noble can tell if you're lying just by gazing into your eyes, so no one has the courage to look anyone in the eye in Atlas. So that's what I want you to do."

She swung her legs over the side of her bunk and stared down at the silver haired boy, "When you tell me that I can trust you, have the courage to look me dead in the eyes without so much as a flinch. If you can do that, I can trust you."

The heiress' eyes bore into him with ferocious intensity, despite this, there was no malice behind them, only unwavering curiosity. Merc accepted her challenge and took a deep breath.

He returned her gaze confidently, "I swear on my life you can trust me."

The two former adversaries stayed there, locked in a staring contest that Mercury was half expecting to be to the death.

The standoff ended when the heiress reached her judgement, "Ok" she said.

As Blake existed the cabin and arrived on the deck, she felt an icy chill run down her spine. The midnight air had already settled in. She quickly spotted Ruby at the bow of the ship, sulking over the side like the moody teenager that Blake often forgot she was.

As the cat expected, Yang was hastily on her tail as she heard the door behind her open and slam shut once again. Her partner bounded up the stairs and stopped right next to her partner, the heat of her aura immediately warming up the nearby air.

Blake motioned for Yang to stop without looking directly at her, "Stay here, if you talk to her now you will only get into another fight. I need to calm her down first."

Yang shook her head, "But she's my sister! I can't just let you do my job for me!"

For the first time since they reunited, Blake finally worked up the nerve to look Yang straight in the face. Her normally perfect face and heart melting smile had been replaced by a pained frown and dark purple bags that congregated under her distressed lilac eyes. Her once flawless gold hair was now a matted mess of faded color and split ends that seemed to show more age than she ever deserved. Blake felt a pang of guilt hit her for the thousandth time these past few months as she remembered that the fault for ruining the beauty that her partner treasured so much lay squarely on her cowardly shoulders.

"Just give me five minutes" she asked.

The blonde conceded and stepped off to the side. Blake took a deep breath and approached their volatile leader. Her mood seemed to have stabilized at least a bit and she was staring off at the barely visible horizon, not unlike how Weiss had on their trip to Haven.

"I'm sorry" she said meekly. "I'm your leader, I should be above attacking you like that."

Blake sighed and leaned up on the railing next to her friend, "Don't worry. You're every bit as stressed as the rest of us, no one blames you for that."

Ruby shrugged, "I'm just scarred, scarred that all we've been struggling for will fall apart. It seems that whenever we pick up any kind of momentum we just get punched in the face. We stop the train, Cinder still wins. We recruit Neo, we nearly get killed by Azure. We fight him off in Haven, Raven takes over the world, Neo murders someone for blood money, and Mercury, he-gahhh!"

Ruby put her head in her hands, "It just seems so hopeless!"

Blake put her arm around her, "You don't have to worry, I'm-"

The red head brushed her off and glared at her through watery eyes, "And you know what terrifies me the most? The thought of us falling apart again! One wrong move, whether it be from losing a fight, or letting the wrong people in, Weiss could be taken away, you could disappear, Yang could lose her smile, and I-I-"

She sulked and looked away, her tears staining her cheeks a sad silver, "And I don't think I could take it all again, I couldn't keep going."

Blake pulled Ruby a bit closer and rubbed her back as her leader let out a few sobs, "Let me see your arm" she said calmly.

Ruby tensed up, "I-I should really go check and see how JNPR are doing, see you tomorrow!"

Before Ruby could escape Blake grabbed her arm and pulled her back to the bow. Making sure Yang wasn't able to see what she was doing, she forcefully rolled up her leader's sleeve. Even though she expected as much, the sight of an honest to god self harm scar across her optimistic little friend's arm wasn't an easy sight to take in.

Ruby averted the faunus' startling eyes as they cooly analyzed her every move. "How did you know" the redhead asked meekly.

Her friend shook her head, "It wasn't hard" she rolled up her own sleeve, "Especially since I've been there."

Ruby's jaw dropped at the sight of her teammates' skin. Nearly a dozen self harm scars lined her arm.

"I started making these a couple years ago when the White Fang became a full fledged terrorist organization." She pointed to the scar across her wrist, "This one was when I tried to take my life about six months before I came to Beacon. If it wasn't for one of my friends, a White Fang commander named Pascal, I would have bled out and died."

She rolled her and Ruby's sleeves back down, "After that, Adam wouldn't let me out of his sight. I also realized that I wouldn't help anyone if I died by my own hand, so I started planning my escape from the White Fang. The rest they say, is history."

Her leader looked at her, new tears in her eyes, "Oh god, Blake, I-I didn't know. I'm sorry."

Blake smiled, "You don't have to be. I just want you to remember that this pain you're feeling, this hopelessness, you're not alone. You should never bottle it up, if you ever need to talk about any of this, come to me immediately! This group is as much my anchor as it is your's, and I sure as hell am not letting it sink!"

Ruby smiled back, "Ok, just please don't tell anyone about my...scars. I want everyone to treat me normally.

Blake nodded, "Don't worry, I know how you feel."

Ruby grabbed Blake's arm before she left, "And Blake, Yang doesn't blame you for what happened, she isn't that kind of person."

The Onyx haired girl gave her the faintest smile, "I'll try. Thank you."

The two friends, now with a much deeper understanding between them, bid each other farewell and a good night. The faunus motioned Yang to come closer, "Go easy on her" Blake said.

Yang nodded and took her partner's place next to her sister, the awkwardness of their previous fight incredibly prevalent in the lukewarm air created by the mixture of the night and Yang's aura.

"So uh, I heard that there are a lot of dolphins in this area, want to try and ride em?"

Ruby gave her sister a weird look before the two began laughing, "We suck at this don't we?" She said, punctuating with a sigh.

The blonde ran her right arm through her matted hair, "Hey, you know small talk is my weakness, you're the one who always used to start the conversation!"

Her sister chuckled before hugging the blonde baffone, "I'm sorry i've been such a bitch, I still don't trust Merc, but if you do, then I'll at least try to."

A big stupid grin grew across her older sibling's face, "Thanks sis, I promise you won't regret this."

Ruby stepped back and the two smiled at each other, hands interlocked like they always had as kids. "Well it's getting late and I have a lot of leadering to do tomorrow, see you then."

She quickly hugged Yang once more before turning to walk off, sleep already on the verge of taking her right there.

Her sister pouted and grabbed her by the arm playfully, "Hold on Rubes, you still need to tell me about your misadventures, I'm sure running into Neo was one hell of a...story?"

Yang looked quizzically down at Ruby's arm a something felt off, she shoved her little sister's sleeve upwards to reveal her scar, her eyes widened and she began shaking."Why didn't you, why didn't you-"

Ruby's face fell, "Yang I-urff"

The blonde pulled her precious siblings into a suffocating bear hug and refused to let go, "When did that happen? How did I not notice? I was so stuck in my own problems that I didn't even notice you trying to kill yourself!? Oh god what kind of pathetic excuse for a sister am I?!" She began sobbing profusely, soaking her sister's short hair in the process.

Ruby couldn't move, not because of her sister's death grip. The training of the past year made her perfectly capable of escaping her clutches. It was something else that kept her there, it was the warmth. The gentle blaze that flowed from her sister's touch. The last they hugged, back in their log cabin on patch, she was colder than stone, wasting away in her own depression. Yet now she realized it, she was back, somehow, someway, Merc of all people really did save her. Her beloved sister was back again. Her family wasn't destroyed after all.

Her eyes began to water, "Yang, I love you so much."

She buried her face in the crevice between her sister's shoulder and neck and began crying a stream of tears of relief. Yang stroked her hair and smiled through her own tears.

"I love you more."

Team JNPR had decided to spend their late night hours as far away from their friends' screaming match as possible. Setting up shop in the boat's large control room, it was taking all of Jaune's willpower to remain awake, as much as he loved being with his teammates during these trying times, Nora and Neo's girl talk was dreadfully boring. You would think a former criminal and an explosion waiting to happen would be able to think of a single interesting thing to say. However as the last few weeks had shone him, nothing was impossible, even bad things.

The childhood friends continued to giggle and chat like school girls as if everything was normal, as if they weren't potentially sailing into a death trap. Ren remained alert and attentive to the girls conversation, and even chiming in whenever they touched on a topic he was well versed in. How his friend could keep up with crazy women like them, Jaune may never know.

Feeling an alien within his own team ever since Neo arrived in their lives, Jaune turned his attention to the last occupant of the ship's' bridge. The harsh and cynical outsider from Atlas, Ciel Solei.

"So, uh, nice weather we're having?" Jaune asked her in an awkward attempt to start a conversation.

Ciel gave him a judgmental look before returning to her fiddling with the controls, "Yeah, I guess."

As the silence between the two returned, Ren decided to follow Jaune's weak attempt up with a better one, "We stopped sailing for the night over an hour ago, don't you think you should relax?"

Neo looked towards the girl in question and chimed in, "Yeah, you've been at the controls all day, don't you think you should rest?"

The girl with the blue beret shook her head groggily and rubbed the sand from her eyes, "I'll pass, a soldier never sleeps when there is a war to be won."

A loud slamming of a wooden door was heard from below deck that made the whole group, minus Ciel and Ren, jump in surprise.

Ciel allowed a slight giggle escape herself at the sight of her allies' jumpy reaction, "Sounds like the wonder twins' argument has passed, you guys should go get some sleep."

Team JNPR and their ice-cream haired friend gave each other concerned looks. Nora eventually spoke, "I think you're the one that needs sleep, you look like you're about to drop dead!"

Ciel scoffed before looking at her reflection in the mirror on her right, noticing the black bags forming under her eyes for the first time before looking away. "I appreciate the concern, but as a student of Atlas I have been trained to work efficiently under any kind of stress, you don't have to be worrying about my lack of sleep affecting my Abilities or the group."

The team's concern only grew from that, "It's not your abilities we are worried about, it's you. You've been working harder than anyone else here, as your friends we can't just stand by and watch you run yourself into the ground" said Jaune.

The introverted girl rolled her tired eyes, "You call me your friend and you barely know me? We are allies plain and simple." She said in a very matter of factory tone.

Jaune shook his head, "Well we are all on the same team now, how can you expect to fight for the fate of the world along side someone and not get to know them enough to call me a friend?" He asked.

Ciel groaned, "Easy, you don't!"

She turned around to give the four of them an aggravated glare, "Do you forget who we are? We are huntsmen! We don't make 'friends' we throw our lives away to save the world! In this line of work the person next to you could be there one day, die the next. Being 'friends' with them only makes watching them fall in the line of duty harder." Her voice betrayed her as it briefly cracked.

She took only a millisecond to regain her composure, "It's easier if you learn to just not care." They sat in silence for a few moments as an oppressive atmosphere began to flood the room. "You don't really think that do you? You must have had friends back in Atlas" said Jaune.

Ciel sighed and leaned back in her chair, "Keyword, Atlas. The breeding ground to the most dedicated and skilled huntsmen in all of remnant. The teams were put together based on strength and efficiency, except for FNKI, their the collection of outsiders that didn't work well with anyone else."

The black haired girl began absently fiddling with her watch as she recounted the summary of her year at Atlas, "I'm, or at least was, the leader of team CPER, the most advanced team of freshmen the academy had seen since team JSPE over twenty years ago" she gave Jaune a sideways glance, looking for a reaction.

"My teammates were Regulus and Ebony Shroud, the most military and disciplined duo I've ever seen. It took me and Penny everything we had to keep up with them. I barely even talked to them outside of strategizing, as it should have, we were a well oiled machine, nothing more, nothing less."

"And what about Penny?" Asked Ren.

Ciel grit her teeth and tensed up, a thousand different emotions ran through her mind, non managing to break through her stone like persona, "She was a miscalculation. I got to close to her, she became my friend, and she…"

She hesitated, the topic clearly painful for her, "Turned out to be just like me, another one of my father's playthings."

She absently rubbed at the place on her arm where the lightning dust tattoos were invisibly branded into her flesh, ready to reveal themselves at a moment's notice to unleash the raw power trapped within them.

"If you open your heart to others, you just inject yourself with a weakness you'll never be able to cover up."

Jaune jumped up to his feet in protest, "Like hell that's true! None of us would be here if we couldn't count on each other for support!"

Ciel clenched her fists and lost her temper, "Sure, sure, and when half the people here die what will you do? Will you be able to keep going to honor you allies? Or would you drown in your own tears at the loss of your friend?"

The anger boiling in her caused her brands to flare up for a split second and send a bolt of electricity into the rubber seat next to them, frying it completely. The shock caused everyone to jump backwards, the static energy in the air making everyone even more uneasy.

Ciel took a deep breath and allowed her anger to disappear. "Friends aren't necessary." She finally said in a freakishly calm voice.

"Friendship is a needless distraction, an uncontrollable variable that missions like this, people like us, can't afford."

She turned away from team JNPR and sat back in the captain's chair and returned to her work as if the discussion never happened.

Neo cleared her throat and gave her friends forced smile, "Well the four of us really should get some sleep, let's go freshen up Nora."

Nora sighed, "Yeah...you're right Vanila" she said defeatedly.

The two awkwardly shuffled out of the dreary control room with Ren not far behind. Jaune followed them but stopped just before exiting through the threshold.

"You weren't the only one to lose someone close to you that day, Ciel" he said.

She ignored him and continued inspecting the controls.

"I lost my partner Pyrrha. She was the greatest person I've ever met. I loved her."

Ciel froze for a second but resumed her system check, although at a much slower pace.

"I cried oceans after she died, I was a complete wreck for a long time, I still am. I had never felt as much pain, as much emptiness as I did in that month after the battle."

Ciel's hands were starting to visibly shake.

Jaune smiled faintly, "But you know what the strange part is? Even after all the pain it's caused me, I don't regret meeting her, I don't regret falling for her, and most of all, I don't regret being her friend."

He glanced over his shoulder to look at the isolated stranger with understanding eyes, "And no matter how much pain it's caused you. I can tell you don't regret befriending Penny for a second. Even if you say otherwise."

Ciel gulped, "I need to focus, would you please leave?" She said blankly, still not turning to look at him.

Jaune sighed, "Good night Ciel."

"Good night Jaune."

Jaune stepped out the door and closed it. And just like that, Ciel was alone once again. She was back to the familiar emptiness that had occupied nearly every moment of her life. With her new allies gone, she allowed herself to do the one thing years of military training conditioned her to never do on the job, she cried.

The tears ran down her cheeks and her sobs rang quietly out without sign of stopping. Memories of Penny seemed to crop up then of all times. Her carefree and dumb as bricks attitude that infuriated Ciel to no end, her stupidly oblivious smile she always had plastered on her face, the countless times her forgetfulness had caused her to be late for class. (An action that always got Ciel angry to an illogical extent).

She sniffled as she looked at her reflection in her prized golden watch, "Penny, I could really use your 'Salutations' right about now." she thought miserably.

Adam adjusted his mask for the hundredth time that day. After his blunder in Atlas the White Fang's morale was lower than ever, he needed to get it back, it was now or never.

"The troops are waiting sir" boomed the deep voice of his second lieutenant.

"Thank you soldier" said Adam confidently.

The bull horned man stepped into the light and onto the stage in the center of the White Fang main base in Mistral. 4,000 soldiers, half their army looked up at their leader with anxious eyes.

"High Commander Taurus! Please tell us, how are we going to win against this 'Raven'?" Asked a dear Faunus in the front row.

Murmurs of uncertainty spread through the ranks like wild fire. Adam motioned for them to calm down.

He took a deep breath to collect his thoughts before pulling a tattered old book from his pocket, "Does everyone here know what this is?" He said, thrusting the stained literature up into the air. The room remained solemnly silent as all in attendance nodded.

Adam continued, "What I hold here is the greatest masterpiece of our generation, the book that united a race against human tyranny twelve years ago, 'The Third Crusade' Authored by our savior, our Shepherd, our one true leader, Damu Belladonna!"

The name drop of their common hero lightened the mood of every Faunus in the room and was met with a resounding "Ya!"

Adam sighed, "But that is not how I know him, before he was chosen by the gods to lead us, before he was struck with divine inspiration to put this glorious truth to pen and paper, I knew him as a master, a friend."

Adam took a moment for dramatic effect before continuing, "Once upon a time I was a slave to the Schnees just like many of you. A weak fool who coward at their whips. That was until one day, he saved me. He stormed the camp and slaughtered the humans with ruthless abandon! As I lay bleeding, him and his family nursed me back to health."

Adam took a deep breath before shouting, "AND WHAT WAS HIS REWARD FOR THAT ACT OF SELFLESS JUSTICE!? He was wrongfully imprisoned at a peaceful rally, had his wife murdered before his eyes, and had his children, Blake, Bismuth, and Spring, stolen from him!"

He shook his head and rested his forehead on his arm for a moment to collect himself, "Though he was briefly freed by our efforts to repay him, it would not last. He was imprisoned again and we know not where. Our bottomless debt to him remains unpaid."

He ran his finger across the embroidered words on the cover of the book, taking time to let his words sink into his attentive audience. "I have tried my hardest to live up to his legacy, and have failed many times. I have failed to free him, I have failed to take down the Schnees, but worst of all; I failed his daughter and my love, Blake Belladonna, I have allowed those vile human's words corrupt her, and she now stands with them to tear us away from our future, our freedom!"

A single tear ran down his cheek, "But I will not yield to them again. I, no, all of us owe Lord Damu too much to stop fighting. So I tell this 'Raven' these 'Sentinels' one thing. Give me your best shot! I will not yield while there is work to be done! Send your warriors, your slavers, and your traitors, as long as I hold this book, this truth, I WILL NOT YIELD!"

The speech had worked. The proud army of the White Fang cheered in joy as their hearts and hopes soared.

Adam smiled, "Now, get out there, and show these humans just how monstrous you can really be!"

The satisfied leader stepped off the stage to a roaring round of applause. As he disappeared into the corridors of the base, the sounds growing more and more muffled as he grew closer to his quarters, "I only pray that it was enough" he thought grimly.

As he turned a corner he heard a slow clapping coming from his right. He spun around and grabbed the hilt of his katana before relaxing as he realized who it was.

"Hello Commander Pascal, to what do I owe the pleasure?" He asked sarcastically.

His subordinate Pascal was leaning against a nearby wall and giving him a humorous smirk, "Boy you are quite the public speaker, now if only you had the balls to live up to your pretty rhetoric."

Adam grew red with anger, "Bite your tongue! Or do you forget your place as my inferior?"

She rolled her eyes, "Please, your not that much stronger than me, I can beat you on a good day, easy. After all, leader or not you're still the same as me, a member of the 'Food Chain'."

Adam shrugged, as much as he halted to admit it, she was right. As strong as he was, her title as "Pascal Crestwood, the Heartless Chimera" was one he couldn't afford to take for granted, no matter how much her aggravating demeanor infuriated him. How someone as untrustworthy as her managed to keep a grasp on a place in the Food Chain the group containing the top five members of the White Fang, was beyond him.

She stopped her clapping and let her hands fall to her side, her fingers glossing over her dual pistols, "Stinger and horn", she extended her rare feature, eagle talons, and tapped on their cold metal tauntingly as if she were daring him to a fight.

Her jet black hoody hung over her lean and wiry body, Her left eye remained obscured, blocked by a swath of her short purple hair like an eye patch. Her right eye was a rigid green, complimented perfectly by her decorative spider bites.

"What do you want, I'm busy."

She sighed and stepped forward, "From your report it seems that you fought Winter Schnee during your failed coup in Atlas."

She glared at him with her one exposed eye, the little green orb holding all the ferocity of a predator on the hunt, "Am I to assume she is still alive."

Adam scowled, "Yes, she is."

Pascal smiled, "Good, I'd hate it if that murderer died by any hands but my own. She will pay for what she did to me, and I will get my vengeance. Next time, she is mine!"

Adam nodded, "Trust me, I was keeping her alive as a present for you, I'm nice like that."

Pascal chuckled, "Quite the charmer, I can almost see what Blake saw in you once, almost."

Adam growled at the comment, "This conversation is over."

A wild chuckle came from the steel rafters above, "Hehehehehe, looks like she struck a nerve, I expected thicker skin from the 'Horns of Change' himself. You really did let your little whore soften you."

His gaze shot up just in time to see the disappearing tail of a Faunus dart away.

"Boo" whispered the voice.

He jumped in surprise and spun around to come face to face with another member of the Food Chain. His lanky body was dressed in a mixture of brown and green garments caked in fresh mud from a recent mission. His blood red claws still smelled of carnage and a mangled lion tail danced with murderous excitement. The only anchor of sanity that seemed apparent on him was his cold and calculating hazel eyes that Adam always assumed were constantly seizing up the most effective way to kill anything in his sight. He truly deserved the title of "Arsenic Hide, the Cannibal."

Hide smiled, "Jumpy as always it seems, you never could keep your composure for long, could you?"

Adam frowned in indignation, "What do you want Snic? Shouldn't you be off frolicking in a field of guts and severed limbs?"

Arsenic scoffed, "Believe me boss man, I'd much rather be off teaching those humans a lesson, but-"

A sarcastic voice from down the hall rang out to interrupt him, "We couldn't miss your rousing speech! It was so stirring I think I'll tell my grand kids about it!"

Adam watched as the source of the voice stepped from the shadows, the Food Chain's fourth member, "Cordelia Blanc, the Eviscerator."

Her curly reddish pink hair draped over her tanned shoulders nearly perfectly. Her polished ram horns glittered like diamonds in the oppressive darkness of the base. Teasing sapphire eyes analyzed her superior's demeanor as she drew closer.

Arsenic groaned, "Wow, Blake isn't even dead yet and you're already moving in on him Cord? Never took you for a gold digger."

Cordelia gasped factiously, "Oh Snic you have no class as always. But truly, what kinda person would I be if I didn't dote on my friends every now and then? This is a day to be happy!"

Adam shook his head, "I can never tell if you're being sincere or just patronizing."

The ram Faunus giggled, "Exactly!" She said, as if she had just cleared up his confusion.

He had had just about enough attention for his frustrating allies, but as he moved to leave he froze, "Wait if all three of you are here does that mean-"

"Yes it does Adam, long time no see."

The temperature in the corridor dropped sharply as a thin black mist began floating through the air. All four of them gulped and stood at attention, their banter shot down as they prepared for the arrival of their final member.

A figure walked towards them from the left, the mist condensing around him as it flowed from his aura. Dressed in a tattered black trench coat, a pair of unsettlingly large meat cleavers strapped to his back. Badges and weapons of fallen huntsmen and Schnnes clattering together as they hung loosely from his side as mementos from fallen foes. His harsh, scar covered face was complimented by his empty, heartless eyes. His single remaining wolf ear drooped lifelessly on the left side of his head, a large gash of it missing, leaving his whole appearance seemingly incomplete. Before them he stood, the most powerful member of the Food Chain, "Bismuth Belladonna, the Black Butcher."

Bismuth's eyes bore down on his subordinates like grim spotlights, "Cordelia, status report, now" he said, he boomed in his stern, emotionless voice.

Cordelia tensed up and gave her report swiftly, "Our communications array is back online. The Vacuo faction is making preparations to join us here on the front lines as we speak."

Their leader nodded before bringing his attention to Arsenic. "My strike squad have ripped the capital's supply routes a new one, the army can't mobilize now without the Sentinels."

Bismuth nodded and moved on too Pascal. The normally casual warrior saluted him, "Our latest raid was a success, our troops are well fed and armed."

"Good" said the shrouded butcher without so much as a hint of joy.

He turned his hollow eyes to Adam, their scathing gaze daring him to flinch, "What is the damage this time?" He growled.

Adam felt the tiniest drop of sweat form under his mask as he spoke, "The Sentinels repealed our takeover of the Schnee dust corporation, however the troops' morale has been salvaged."

Bismuth mulled the man's words over in his head before passing judgment, "So be it, and what of my father's whereabouts?"

Adam grit his teeth, "Still unknown, however we have narrowed the possible locations down, I can say with absolute certainty that he is being held somewhere in Atlas."

Arsenic let out a short laugh and grumbled, "I could have told you that years ago for free."

Bismuth shot his unruly subordinate a lethal glare that silenced him immediately. "And as for my little sister" he said as he returned his attention to Adam.

The red headed Faunus nodded, "She is alive and was spotted leaving the Mistral capital recently. Do not worry sir, I will bring that traitor to justice!"

Bismuth let out an ominous chuckle, "No, you will not 'bring' her anywhere. I want her found, I want her killed, I want her bludgeoned and dismembered corpse hung from a flagpole and broadcasted to the entire world to show everyone that anyone who crosses my father's beloved revolution will be slaughtered without mercy, no matter who they are."

Adam gulped, he had promised Blake that he would take away everything she held dear, but she was still his love, the thought of seeing her in such a state, it hurt him deeply.

"B-but sir, do you have no sympathy for your own family?" he asked meekly.

Bismuth stepped closer to his old friend and stared into his eyes, "Was that insubordination I heard? Don't tell me you've resolved to let your infatuation with her make your decisions."

Adam stepped backwards out of fear, "N-no sir! Forgive me."

Bismuth retracted his advance and shook his head, "Even as a traitor, she still bears our father's name, and that makes her more dangerous to us than any army. When a Belladonna speaks out, all Faunus, White Fang or not, will listen."

He turned away from him and sighed bitterly, "Send a squad out to track her down. As for the rest of our soldiers, prepare them for war."

He glanced over his shoulder at Adam one last time, "And remember Taurus, no matter how much respect you garner from the troops they will always follow my father, they will always look to a Belladonna for guidance. Never underestimate the power of blood."

He activated his semblance and his entire body melted away into the mist surrounding them and flew down the hall at blinding speed. Even with him gone, the atmosphere and temperature remained bone chilling.

It was Pascal who broke the silence first, "Well he's every bit as dramatic as I remember."

A/N: So what do you guys think of the other high ups of the White Fang? I felt it would be kinda stupid if Adam was the only significant member so I felt that this was a natural solution. I hope I didn't have Ruby and Ciel come off as complete bitches. Please leave a review!