A/N: I don't own RWBY. That goes to Rooster Teeth, with its conception to the late Monty Oum.

Weiss Schnee: member of Team RWBY and…. *sigh* CWPK. Status: Injured and Shaken.

Coco Adel: Leader of Team CFVY. Status: Capable, Dangerous, Cooperative, and Obnoxious.

Anise Meadows: Former Member of Team PLUM, and informant for Mistral Militaristic Forces. Status:….Questionable.

Ciel was the second and last watch…. Coco pulled the lucky straw between them. Anise said she would take the first watch, and they couldn't convince her otherwise. Ciel was one to always assume the responsibility no one wanted, and considering how her opinion on the shady lady was still being made, she was tempted to fight her for that duty. All Anise had to do was stare. It wasn't because her face was horrifying, it was those eyes. Those brown eyes that told stories more than anything she heard in school.

When Anise shook her up to take her position, the woman whispered to her. "Your friend is muttering and shifting in her sleep. Make sure she doesn't scream too loud if she wakes up."

Ciel looked at Weiss. Was she a friend? No. She was a team-mate, an associate fighting for a common cause. When this was done, hopefully with both alive, Weiss would probably leave to do her own thing: a sense of justice driving her to reunite with her team from Beacon. And her? Ciel would probably stay in Atlas, doing her duty.

Her dreams of becoming the leader of Atlas slowly faded away as she saw Atlas conceptually fall apart. The more she spent out in the wild, she realized the tall buildings, the technology, the labs… that wasn't Atlas.

This was. The towering mountains. The forests that line the lower valleys. The bitter cold that settled in the darkest nights. No military or might or sense of control could tame it. Even if Grimm did not prowl the land, the very majesty of the wild that would not yield did little to convince Ciel of humanity's command of Remnant.

"Why… why did you save me?" It was faint, not even a whisper, more like the clicking of consonants against a still wind, yet Ciel still heard it. She looked at Weiss, who was shifting, grasping the crude blanket they gave her like it was her own skin in danger of falling off.

Ciel sighed, there was nothing she could do, but keep the fire lit, and her weapon at the ready. She had been tinkering with it since Paris's little EMP. It worked well now, and if anything dared to disturb her, they would meet an untimely end.

She stood, her eyes prepared for any movement, any slight shiver in the status quo for her to unleash her training with no mercy. She would stand here. No one would die on her watch.

Neon and Penny. Ciel pushed those names away from her mind. It couldn't be helped. Like how Pomme couldn't be helped. Like how the original Penny couldn't be helped. Like how Commander Nikos couldn't be helped.

They weren't even confirmed dead, just missing. They were strong and capable, maybe not on her level but nothing to scoff at, if they were still alive, they would remain alive.

"Why…. So much blood." Once again, the shifts in the air were heard. Ciel couldn't help but sigh in worry as Weiss continued to audibly have nightmares. Weiss couldn't be helped either, it was out of her control.

She couldn't help but chuckle. She always wanted control. She always wanted power, recognition, and achievements. But no matter how much of that she would go to accumulate, there would always be something that couldn't be helped, and such she was thus lacking in control. Powerless, recognition that meant nothing and achievements that did nothing.

She grit her fists, clenched her teeth, and her frustration infected her being. She wanted to shout… but her comrades were sleeping. She would do more harm than good then to just succumb to rage.

Just an hour or two. Just an hour or two. Then they would awake, and she needn't dwell on her thoughts alone. She would have to deal with a shaken Weiss, an annoying Coco, and… whatever Ms. Meadows was.

It was better than being alone, she realized, as the two soft snores echoed as Weiss continued to haunt her with her mutterings.

How long was she expected to just sit here, cuffed to a bench, blindfolded? It was rather undignified, even for someone who spent most of her teenage years scrounging for scraps in Mistral.

She heard whispers, whispers from people who weren't used to making whispers. Their voices carrying in the echoing halls outside of Atlas's main office.

"That's the girl from that Haven team, right? The one whose team-mate got crippled?" The voice was fast, each consonant precise and calculated.

"Indeed it is Barty. What is she doing here? And did Pluto say she was a criminal with a semblance that requires sight?" The voice was deep, relaxed, yet was overly confident.

Emerald heard the clacking of shoes coming from below. "That, is confidential Atlesian information. If you wish to know the exact facts, you must be at least clearance level of 6." It was a woman's voice, one that exuded an air of superiority, protocol, and control, not unlike Cinder's, but with less sultriness.

"Professor Cobalt, correct?" The fast voice replied, "I apologize if this seems rude, but do YOU even know why a student of Haven is cuffed and blindfolded to the bench right outside the main office of the Atlas Academy?"

"Of course I do! Why would I…."

"She doesn't," more footsteps were heard; these ones were more clunky. The male voice was gravelly, rough, like someone was scratching his words with sandpaper.

"What are you saying, Ashton, of course I do!" The uptight woman replied.

"Yeah, sure." The gravelly voice didn't sound too convinced.

"Uhg!"

"Now, now," the deep voice returned, "there is no shame is acknowledging what you don't know. When I was a young boy, I didn't know much, but…."

"…you always remembered to ask questions, and to learn from them!" ANOTHER voice entered the room, and Emerald was finding it more agitating that people kept entering the room, observing her unusual predicament, and just talking about her like she couldn't hear them! She was effectively blind not deaf!

"BRICK!"

"PORT!"

The slapping of an overly aggressive handshake clapped across the room, as the two men laughed a jolly laugh of companionship and happiness and… uhg… where's a trash can that I can puke in… oh wait, I CAN'T SEE IT!

"Such a shame we can't meet in better times!"

"Indeed, unfortunately history has different plans for us Port. Please tell me that you will be staying."

"Depends what Glynda says, she owns the bullhead. I don't even really know why we're here myself. It's just like that time I was taken out to the forest, unknown…"

"…no offense Port." The bitchy woman seemed to speak, "…but we have neither desire nor time to listen to your thrilling accounts. We're here to meet up with Dr. Glass to give a status report on the mission he has given us."

"He seems busy, we have time to wait."

"Shut up Ashton."

A flurry of words were exchanged amongst what Emerald assumed were professors…. At least in the 'Ashton' 'Brick' and 'Cobalt,' case, she already knew about Port and Oobleck. Wasn't there a third professor named Peach among them? She never met the woman however… elusive and absent was her modus operandi. Just like her…. except she's been cuffed, locked away, and now blindfolded more often than she really was happy about.

The boom of the grand door opening almost made her jump, "all righty everyone, we're done chatting…. Oh, hello Ashton, Brick, Cobalt! Nice of you to join us! It's like those professor conventions that USUALLY happen after a Vytal Festival!"

"Pluto, I know this is your school now, but we don't have time for your jokes!" The voice of Glynda Goodwitch intervened. "Bartholomew, Peter, we will be… staying a bit longer here in Atlas."

"We will not allow it!" The Atlesian lady that Emerald gaged was Professor Cobalt declared, "you are currently breaching Atlesian borders without proper purpose or reasoning, and we cannot…"

"Cobalt… they can stay, and I'm pretty sure Ironwood would agree with me…." Pluto responded. There was a pause between all people in the room. "What? I know it's rare but we agree on some things! More often now that we're in a state of emergency."

"You want me to take that blindfold off?" Flynt's voice suddenly appeared behind her ears, actually making her jump. She heard a laugh, and suddenly the cloth was released from her eyes, the blinding light making it difficult for her to focus on the face that was in front of her.

"Grrr…" was all Emerald said. She didn't like talking. She didn't like being friendly. She was at home when there was no attention drawn to herself. Oh yes, she knew how to act when eyes set upon her, but that didn't mean she enjoyed it. Her eyes adjusted as she finally saw the scene she was blinded from.

A group of middle-aged people stood in a circle, talking out of turn like a bunch of high schoolers. People raised their hand, made objections, made declarations, made a joke, recounted a story, and one guy with messy gray hair standing in silence. Outside the circle stood Weiss's older sister, who seemed to want in, but couldn't scooch her way into the circle.

"It's funny, isn't it? We expect ourselves to mature, but in certain circumstances, older people are just as immature as we are." Flynt mused.

"Disgusting." Emerald scowled. "People in power are just as human as we are."

"Isn't that comforting, though, to know that those in charge are just like us?"

"They put on a façade of being special though, they lie to the public to maintain that power."

"True, but also are the lies bringing comfort, granting protection from panic and Grimm?"

"And when those lies are exposed?"

"You saw Vale. You know what happens." Emerald turned to face Flynt. "From what he says, I assume you had a big deal in it. With that illusion semblance of yours…. Is that why Yang attacked your partner after the fight?"

"What does it matter, he's dead. And what I did is done."

"Maybe so." Flynt sat back on the bench, crossing his hands behind his head.

"Why are you talking to me? Shouldn't you be… palling around with the good guys up there?"

Flynt scoffed, "I don't think a single person up there is a 'good guy,' some are better than most, and I believe all mean well… but 'good guys' is a generous term."

Emerald found her scowl lessening on her face. "Then do we have a right to declare something evil?"

Flynt laughed, "Em…. The Grimm are evil. They are so, one dimensionally evil. They don't eat to survive, they eat to kill. They're creatures of darkness that only lead destruction. They don't have a goal that they believe is for the greater good of some philosophy. They aren't even hungry for power. They just kill." Flynt let out a sigh. "In my words, the only truly good and evil things in the world are things so simple it isn't worth analyzing.

"So those men and women up there aren't fully good," Flynt then turned his eyes towards her, "and you aren't fully evil.

"So to answer your question, 'why am I not up there with them?' Well, because it's better to make new allies than to bother the ones you already have." Flynt then stomped with his cane, "I feel this thing is making me super profound right now and I don't know why."

Emerald smirked, "it's because it makes you feel old, and that's all the old are good for, speaking 'wisdom.'"

"Maybe," Flynt sat back, "besides, I didn't really feel like standing and you're using the only bench."

Emerald suddenly became aware of the fact she was cuffed to the bench, and her low spirits and mild anger returned. "Why are you acting so blasé about all this? I mean, I assume you know what I did."

"Because I just took some pain medication that Pluto offered! It's really making me feel chill…."

"…..oh."

"So, Princess, how did you sleep?" Weiss turned her muggy head over to Coco, who was wearing her shades, one hand on hip while the other toting the bag Weiss knew had to be much heavier than the girl was making it out to be. Weiss saw her reflection in the shades, the bandages, the fatigue under her eyes, the messed up hair: did Coco really need to ask?

"Nice to see you too, Ms. Adel."

Coco smiled, knelt down on the upright Weiss and leaned in for a hug. "It's great to see a familiar face…. Did you happen to fall rough on your rear out there?"

"What?" Weiss raised an eyebrow as Coco let go and stood up. Weiss also got up and started reaching for her things. "I mean… I didn't really…."

Slap! "Eep!"

Coco chuckled as Weiss indignantly rubbed her rear, the slap incredibly harsh considering their circumstances. Still…I should have expected that.

"Coco!" Ciel scolded, "while you are working with me, I will not tolerate such inappropriate conduct or contact."

"You're no fun, not that I didn't know that already…."

"Uhg… first Neon now…" Ciel seemed to stop short at the mention of Neon's name, from herself no less.

"Okay Team Muck!" Anise Meadows stood before them, her hood drawn over her face. Despite Weiss hoping to eventually to get used to it, flashes of that face danced in her dreams that night. "Weiss…. Do you still have your scroll on you?"

Weiss reached into her pocket only to find the thin, glass tool shattered. "Uh…."

"No worries, I expected that considering where we found you." Anise silenced her. "Ciel, do you know where the closest Atlesian Military checkpoint is?"

"I certainly do." Ciel nodded, "it is quite the walk though…. Wait, 'Team Muck?'"

"MWCC, that's this team until I escort you safely back into Atlas."

"Well… you and Dr. Glass certainly have the same taste in- WOAH!" Ciel suddenly had her legs wrapped in with leather straps, as she was dragged before their self-appointed leader.

"What… the FUCK… did I say about saying that name?…"

"….don't say it again?" Did Ciel ever sound this meek before? Weiss wondered. Also… what was it with Pluto's name that sent the woman over the edge? Considering her reaction, it was best not to ask.

Ms. Meadows uncoiled the straps around Ciel's legs, and pointed ahead. "Lead us to the checkpoint. I'll escort you the best I can."

"And what will you do when we get there?" Weiss turned to see Coco crossing her arms and leaning against a tree.

"I'm leaving…. Going back to the Mistralis…. Going to take out that robot menace myself."

Coco's face shifted into a grimace, clearly not happy with that answer but finding no proper response to it. Ciel was also silent on the matter, but she was reorienting herself, patting down her clothes making sure they were free of creases.

"Uh…. Ms. Meadows," Weiss spoke up, getting the attention of the Huntress, "I mean…. I haven't seen your combat abilities outside of… what just happened. But… that… that man is not someone you just take on alone."

"Agreed," Ciel spoke up, "Ms. Meadows, that target is my responsibility. If you…."

"Shut up." Anise glared at Ciel and then faced Weiss, "'your target' is not nearly as invincible as you think he is. We just saw the thing just fall apart, talking to voices that weren't there. And if I understand about that aura grafted onto it, I have no metal on me, more than I can say about the three of you." She turned around, "I killed that girl's father, least I could do is put her ghost to rest."

Weiss couldn't respond to any of that, she felt she needed context to things she obviously didn't see.

"That wasn't you!" Coco spoke up instead, "you went for Nickel and missed… and then he promptly knocked you out."

"I was in shock, but I'll be ready this time…"

"I don't…." Coco began.

"This isn't…" Ciel objected.

"LET'S GET WALKING!" Weiss screamed, "clearly, we have a lot of disagreements, but we are wasting time arguing and STANDING still! We don't want to get caught in some snow storm or something." The sooner she could get out of the wilderness the better. She never thirsted for civilization so much since getting lost in the Manor backyard as a kid…. It was a really large back yard for her toddler self.

"Yes… that's… that's most prudent." Anise Meadows nodded, "everyone, gather your stuff, we hit the trail as soon as we're all ready."

Everyone silently gathered their stuff, as Weiss looked around. She herself did not place her things. Not her pack, not her weapon, she was too dazed to even remember what happened after the Grimm attacked. She surveyed the area and found that her tools were very considerately placed lying on a tree… well… only Myrtenaster. Her pack wasn't there.

"Um…. Did you guys find my pack or anything?"

"That robot was glowing and laughing, so we thought we should retreat." Coco bluntly replied, "your pack wasn't on you. Only you and your weapon. We didn't have time for anything else."

"…makes sense." It wasn't like she was going to need her facial cream anyway, her face covered with bandages at all. It would instead be doctored with actual medical supplies. Her hands though might dry up from the harsh temperature, but she would just have to rough it. Yang would be proud.

…Then again, that girl would be furious to realize she was missing her hair products…. Blake would be proud. Yes, it would be Blake that would be proud, while Yang would be horrified for her stake.

And Ruby would simply cheer her on.

They started walking, with Ciel leading the way. Weiss was not the best at directions, but she trusted Ciel was going the right way. It just seemed right for her to remember something as difficult as how to navigate the Atlesian wilderness.

Coco was behind Ciel, her bag at the ready for anything that would dare pounce on them. Weiss rarely saw her doing her thing, but the Breach and her performance at the Vytal Festival proved that while she wasn't the most elegant of combatants, she certainly could crush things with strength that Yang would envy, and firepower that would've made Ren blush.

She was behind Coco. While she was still recovering, she felt her aura coming back, the marks that littered her body slowly going away. She could even make glyphs again… maybe during a lull portion she could practice more glyph techniques… maybe even finally summon when she actually planned and wanted it.

That left the mysterious Anise Meadows. She never heard of the woman, but the way Ciel looked at her, she was someone SHE knew…. Maybe not personally but had heard of. Then again, her semblance was that she could remember things, right? That was probably it.

…That was a lame semblance, when she thought about it.

But back to Ms. Meadows, Weiss observed her to be middle-aged, despite Weiss not spending that much time observing her features for obvious reasons. She carried herself like a heavy weight was on her shoulders, crippling her already relatively small stature, though Weiss could tell she was around her height without heels.

Damn, I just admitted that I was short. It was a matter of time before she realized it.

Weiss slowed her pace so that she could more easily interact with the mysterious 'partner' and 'leader.' (If she was going around claiming they were 'Team' MWCC, those would be the titles to woman would hold. In the past, she would just squash any curiosity, unable to act upon it, assuming it rude. However, that was the past.

"…So… Ms. Meadows… how long have you been a huntress?" Easy question first. She learned that starting off accusatory never worked well.

"Long enough." She replied, "I'm more part-time now. I'm not on the official listings… but I go where I think I could be needed."

"…I see…." Weiss had heard of people doing that, going off the registry but still offering their services in more direct methods, offering to clear a problem up should something arise where they were. "So… what are you doing here in Atlas?"

"I was providing intel for the Mistrali army. I grew up in Atlas-then Mantle. I know things."

"So… you went to Atlas to get your training?"

"Yes." That's all she said, and Weiss felt she would only get vaguer the more Weiss pressed on in that subject.

"So… uh…. I understand you want to stop Nickel, but…"

"… you don't think I can do it alone." Anise finished for her. "I understand, he's a monster, and he has an army under his boot, I probably wouldn't survive."

"Then…. Why do you insist…"

"There's nothing else worthwhile I can do. I can't return to Atlas. And I don't have the means or supplies to make a safe trek back to Mistral. The last thing I can do is try to take down that metal monstrosity."

"You keep calling him a monster, a menace…"

"…He is. A murderous madman brought to life by twisted aura science. That's all I need to know that that thing is inhuman, and must be put down like it's a creature of Grimm or a rabid dog." There was a quiver in her voice, one that suggested that she had personal experience with Nickel… but that wouldn't make sense.

"…maybe so." Weiss sighed, "…but if you truly want to destroy him, you would be better off going back with us to Atlas. To regroup, to amass an advantageous platform against him."

"I'm not going back."

"Why not?"

She didn't respond, simply lowering her face so only the top of her hood could be seen. Weiss continued to glare at the unresponsive woman, hoping that her intense glare would make her crack, like it had so many others. She wondered if that was something she inherited from her father, or if it was just a Schnee thing.

She still didn't respond. The snow softly fell from the trees and crunched beneath their feet. The sun, having escaped the horizon and lending its light to the travelers, harried Weiss with the glare it reflected off the snow. Weiss gave up her gaze and focused on looking forward, avoiding the harshly white snow.

And she was ignoring the harsh whirring that was invading her ears. What was that noise? Was it a Grimm? Was it a….

"OHMIGOSH! I TOLD you, you stupid pilot they were out here somewhere! HEY WEISS! CIEL!... TWO PEOPLE I HAVE NEVER MET! HELLO!" Weiss looked up to see a bullhead hovering over them, with Neon waving frantically with the largest smile Weiss had seen in a while.

"Huh, it's the rainbow faunus you fought Weiss…" Coco snarked, but Weiss ignored her.

"Neon! Is…"

"Your Pops if fine! Just taking a nap in the back of this emergency evacuation bullhead! Hey, pilot! Land this thing will ya!" Neon turned to face an unseen pilot, whose words were not heard. "We'll make them fit! It's only four!" There was another pause, "this is an EVACUATION bullhead, we don't care about COMFORT! Just land the damn thing and lets get these people on there!"

Weiss turned to see Ciel staring speechless, Weiss couldn't blame her. A pilot taking orders from a faunus? How scandalous!

Weiss laughed, but turned around to see Anise Meadows starting to walk away. Weiss grabbed her cloak.

"Let go of me." Anise growled.

"No, I won't-" Weiss gasped as the form disappeared. She looked forward to see Anise further away, giving a soft wave good-bye as she slinked away.

A/N: Short chapter, I know, but I realized this story had enough "people walk around the wild in Atlas." I thought of having a Grimm battle, but that would simply be filler, since Weiss, the character I would like to grow, is still healing in that regard.

So, I simply made a short chapter, the next one will be a small time skip. Like two or three days.

Until then, Fave! Follow! Review! Keep your Status Questionable! More fun that way.