I've got some potentially bad news. I haven't written anything new in the past week. Partly because of band stuff, partly the Thrawn's Revenge 2.2 demo being released, but mainly because I'm finally getting college junior levels of homework, and that's only going to increase going forward. I have quite the backlog right now, but not enough to take this to the end of the semester. I can make up some ground over spring break, so hopefully the weekly schedule won't be interrupted.

Now, let the record show I've never been on a date. Never had a girlfriend. I have no idea how any of this works, ESPECIALLY from a woman's point of view…Yes, I'm a lonely SOB.

Ruby watched the trees go by as she walked. The normal sights of Ellesméra disappeared long ago. Trees were once again just that and no elves filtered through the foliage. Only a narrow, winding path showed any sign of civilization. A few animals walked through the area, but unlike those on Remnant, they didn't run at the sight of people. They were never hunted by the elves. Why should they be scared?

Yang was right. This is exactly what Ruby needed. Whenever one of them was upset as kids, they'd take a long walk together through the forest around their house. It almost never failed to calm them down. Now, with the birds singing and squirrels chattering, most of Ruby's fears from earlier drained away.

Her present company had to help too. This was the first time she was ever really alone with Aaron, well, after she knew she had feelings anyway. Ruby was excited about that, but it also felt more than a little awkward. Was this a date or was Aaron just being nice? What did people do on dates in Alagaësia? What did people do on Remnant? So far, they'd just made small talk and cracked a few jokes. Was she doing it right?

Ruby shook her head. "How far is this first place again?"

Aaron nodded at something. "The clearing is just ahead."

"What is it exactly you're showing me? You've never said."

"I like to keep you guessing, and I was enjoying our talk." His cheeks turned slightly red. "Anyway, I believe I've actually told you about this place before. Remember what I said about the Menoa tree?"

"Yeah. One of the oldest trees in the forest and…" Ruby trailed off and looked up the path as she remembered what Solembum told her back in Tronjheim. She thought she saw where the trees thinned out. "…And where the elves and Riders celebrate the bond with the dragons."

"You okay? You kind of spaced out there."

"I'm fine. It's just…you said it's right up here?"

"Yeah…Something on your mind?"

"You remember Solembum? He told me something about it." The two walked into the clearing. Ruby stopped as she looked at the largest tree she'd ever seen, possibly the biggest one in existence. The Beacon CCT could fit inside the thing with plenty of room to spare. Roots covered the entire clearing, with only a few patches of tall grass peeking out. "Whoa."

"It's big," Aaron agreed. "The only known tree with a consciousness, though an elf did sing herself into the tree to make that happen."

Ruby stared and the trunk of the tree and stretched her mind out to it. She was expecting to feel something like the mind of an elf. It would make sense given the tree's history. What she got though was huge. Larger than all the Riders and their dragons put together. Ruby didn't know where it began and ended.

But what really caught Ruby's attention was the tree's Aura. It had a lot. Maybe not as much as it would have on Remnant, but definitely more than a good chunk of the population of Beacon put together. That was with the tree's Aura locked. This tree could be the first to have it unlocked. What would that even do?

"I was not expecting that," Ruby breathed.

"Few are." Aaron cocked his head. "You've noticed it's Aura right?"

"It's kind of hard to miss."

"Now, what did Solembum say about the Menoa tree?"

Ruby drew back into herself. "I might not get the exact wording right, but he said if I ever need a weapon, I should look under the roots of the Menoa tree."

Aaron straightened up. "Really?" The looked at the base of the tree. "Whatever weapon it is, it has to be ancient."

"You believe him?"

"Werecats don't speak much, but when they do, it's better to believe them than not to."

Ruby walked forward and knelt down on the wooden ground. She placed a hand on the ground. Back on Remnant, she came up with an effective search and rescue spell. With a few modifications, she could search for almost anything underground. She started chanting in the Ancient Language, focusing on finding something metal in the ground.

Her eyes snapped open and she looked toward the trunk. "There is something metal under here. It's not much, but it's something.

"Really?" Aaron looked in the same direction as Ruby. "How long has it been there?"

"More importantly, how do we get it out?" Ruby looked at the blanket of roots that covered the clearing. "It's not like we can just dig it out."

"Is it in the roots?"

"If the roots are fifty feet down, possibly."

"If it is, it might as well not be there." Aaron shook his head. "I have heard stories about dragons who fought this tree and lost. Unless the tree gives the metal up willingly, it's stuck in there for good."

"Oh." Ruby's shoulders slumped. "Ah well. It's not like I'm unarmed." She rested a hand on the hilt of her sword. The Rider tilted her head back to try and find the top of the massive tree. From her position, the tip was obscured by the low hanging branches. "Thanks for showing me this, Aaron."

"If you liked this place, the next place will knock your socks off."

"Shouldn't we save the best for last?"

Aaron rubbed the back of his neck. "I did."

"Wait, so you're telling me your tour of the city is only two places?"

"I only spent two days here before. I haven't seen much more than you have."

"Did you ask me out here just to spend some time with me?" Okay Ruby, that might have been a little much there…

Aaron winced. "Is that a bad thing?"

Ruby put on a warm smile. "Not at all. I've actually been waiting for this for a while." She walked past Aaron. "Well, is this 'cool' place within eyesight?"

The other Rider stood rooted to the ground then shook himself out of it. "No. It's on the other side of Ellesméra." He rejoined Ruby and they reentered the trees.

"So we have to walk all the way back?" Ruby fake moaned.

"We'd have to do this anyway. Neither of our dragons are here." He paused. "You said Solembum told you about that thing under the Menoa tree. Did he say anything else?"

"Yeah, but this one's weird. Something along the lines of 'when all seems lost and your power insufficient, go to the Rock of Kuthian and speak your name to open the Vault of Souls.' You hear of either of those places?"

"Rock of Kuthian…It sounds familiar but…" Aaron shook his head. "It kind of sounds familiar. Maybe Nalia knows. Vault of Souls, isn't that something in a video game?"

"How would he know something from a video game?"

"Well, there are Grimm here." Aaron paused. "About that, from what Oromis said, Grimm might have originated here."

Ruby almost tripped. "What? Then why aren't they everywhere here?"

"The Riders drove them out shortly after they were formed. Apparently they were created by a Shade called Salem."

"Salem…" Ruby looked at the ground. "Why does that name sound familiar?" Her head started to hurt deep inside. It felt like something was trying to force its way out. With the spirit gone, it could only be one person. Her mom hadn't spoken to her while she was wide awake in years. Mom, not now. I'm kind of busy here.

Her mom ignored her. The pressure kept building until it burst. Salem is on Remnant!

Ruby blinked and looked to the side. What do you mean?

I mean what I said. Salem is on Remnant…Sorry for interrupting, but you needed to know. Summer pulled back to where she normally lived.

A hand fell on Ruby's shoulder. "You okay?"

"My mom seems to think Salem is on Remnant, but she didn't go any farther."

"That…could be possible. No one killed her. She could still be out there."

"If that's true…we need to go hunting when we get back to Remnant. There's not much stopping that Shade from going after the Kingdoms."

"Hopefully those two Lethrblaka were the only ones left here."

"If they're not, we'll take out whatever Grimm are here, just like we always do. I just hope we have enough Dust for all that."

"We've got magic and dragons. We're fine."

Ruby and Aaron continued through the forest on almost the exact same path they took to the Menoa tree. Their talk dissolved into much of the same randomness as before. As time went on, Ruby noticed Aaron became more relaxed. His shoulders fell and he walked less like a robot. He spoke more freely compared to before. Did he really think asking Ruby out was a bad idea...Probably, knowing how people acted around here.

Aaron rubbed the back of his neck. "Ruby, I'm sorry for what I said in Farthen Dûr about Blödhgarm. That was uncalled for."

Ruby slowed her pace. "Why are you apologizing to me?"

"It set you off. That was never my intention." Aaron sighed. "I've had bad experiences with other elves to attract mates like that."

"An old girlfriend?"

"I wish it was my problem. No, it was Rafye's former mate."

"Former?" Ruby didn't like where this was going.

"He was...abusive to say the least. Irolon, Nalia, and I saw it, but Rafye refused to. One day Irolon found her with a broken arm and a black eye. He recruited me and Nalia to take that bastard down. Nalia was the one who found out that he had that kind of spell on him. We told Rafye about it, and she was furious. Never saw her mate again after that day."

"Oh." Ruby looked at the ground. "So that's why you don't like Blödhgarm?"

"Yeah. I know it's unfair, but I can't shake that feeling. One time was bad enough, I don't want the rest of you falling into that."

Ruby bit her lip. "Did you love Rafye?"

"Yes and no. Our dragons were mates, so we had to deal with our dragons when they got in their moods, but it never stretched past that. She was more like a sister than anything else."

"Relatable on all counts...You ever figure out how to block Nalia's thoughts when she got like that?"

Aaron shivered. "If you ever figure it out, tell me." Just outside the city, a small deer walked out in front of them, limping on one of its front legs. A large buck stood deeper in the trees, watching the fawn. Aaron gently stuck a hand out in front of Ruby. "I've heard this happens a lot here. Animals are hurt, they come to the elves for help."

"You've done this before." Ruby elbowed Aaron. "Do your thing."

Aaron knelt down in front of the fawn and gently grabbed its broken leg. He chanted in the Ancient Language and one of the fawn's back legs stamped the ground. After a while, Aaron let go of the leg and the fawn tested its weight. Instead of running away like most deer would have on Remnant, it brushed its head against Aaron's before trotting away toward the buck.

Ruby tried to keep her smile from breaking off her face. Aaron was just too good with animals. He wasn't as good with kids, but apparently he still got letters from some of the Faunus kids from years ago. Maybe he…Okay, Ruby. First Date. No need to get ahead of yourself.

Aaron stood up and turned to Ruby. "Is there something on my face?"

"No. That just reminded me of your initiation. It's kind of stuck with me."

"It left an impression on me too. I'm stuck with my Aura for the rest of my life."

"You've got a point there. How much further until this next place?"

"It's right up here. You might actually be able to smell it soon."

"Smell? A bakery?" Ruby sniffed the air, but didn't smell anything sweet. But she did smell something burning. Smoke. Hot metal. Like… "A forge?"

"Yep. The dwarves aren't the only ones who have excellent blacksmiths. While they're focused mainly on efficiency, the elves are more artistic, but there is room for both." Aaron rested a hand on Redemption's hilt. "The forge up there belongs to Rhunön, the one who forged all the Riders' blades."

Ruby's head snapped to Aaron, then to the road ahead. Rhunön, the living legend. Most people wouldn't get so excited. But Ruby, being the weapons nut that she is, was bouncing on her feet. It was like meeting a childhood hero, kind of. "And we can just go up and see her?"

"She's a blacksmith. People have to contact her somehow." Aaron walked forward, with Ruby right behind him, trying not to skip or run ahead. They approached a relatively large house with only a trickle of smoke coming out of the top. Just inside the front door stood a large great room, or more like everything that was needed in a house. Another small hut stood near the center of the room. A forge sat inside with a multitude of tools, even some that shouldn't have come around for a few more centuries.

A single elf stood in front of the forge, hammering a piece of metal. She was the first elf that Ruby had seen that showed any sign of age. Her face was lined with wrinkles and her eyes sunk into her skull. Maybe elves did age, just not as much as everyone else.

Rhunön looked up from her work and lowered her hammer. "I heard you were dead." She focused solely on Aaron.

He shrugged. "I was just biding my time. Staying in the fight would have been suicide."

Rhunön's eyes narrowed. "I suppose you are right." Her gaze shifted to Ruby. "So you are one of the new Riders that has graces us with their presence." She kind of sounded sarcastic, which was new coming from an elf.

"Yeah. I'm Ruby Shadeslayer." Ruby had to pinch herself to keep from running her mouth.

The elf smith looked at Aaron. "You brought her here for a weapon?"

Aaron cast a glance at Ruby. "More for repairs than a new weapon."

Rhunön nodded. "Good. I cannot forge another blade."

"What?" Ruby's heart sank. Rhunön said that in the Ancient Language. It wasn't a lie. "Why?"

"Because of the Traitor and his followers." Rhunön growled. "They disgraced and destroyed my work. I swore never to create instruments of death again." She paused and took a deep breath. "Repair is something else entirely. May I see your sword?"

Ruby unhooked the blade from her belt. "This isn't the weapon that needs repairs, but it could use some enhancement."

As Ruby handed Rhunön her sword hilt first, the elf grabbed her right wrist. The Rider looked at the elf's face and saw wonder in the smith's eyes. "How was this made?"

"You can tell?" If anyone else said that, Ruby would be somewhat concerned that there was something wrong with her fake skin. But Rhunön wasn't just anybody. She was possibly the best smith to have ever lived. Rhunön had to know when something was manufactured or not.

"I have never seen a metal arm before." Rhunön ran a hand along the bionic to where skin began. "This skin is nearly perfect." She looked at Ruby's face and her jaw dropped more. She moved a hand up to the right side of the Rider's head.

Ruby moved away before contact. "Yeah, my eye's like that too, and so is my right leg."

Rhunön's gaze returned to the arm. She muttered in the Ancient Language and it sounded like she was trying to figure out what spells were used to make the limb. "How is this possible without the use of magic?"

"Long story short, science. I'd say more, but…" Ruby looked over her shoulder at Aaron, "I have other obligations at the moment. I don't have my damaged weapon with me, but I do have pictures." She dug into a pocket and drew out her Scroll. She flipped through several pictures until she found one with all three pieces. "It's all right here."

Rhunön took the Scroll from Ruby and looked at the picture. "A scythe?"

"And a sniper rifle." Rhunön looked at Ruby like she had two heads. "It's also a strong weapon that can shoot an apple out of a tree from almost a mile away, without hurting the rest of the tree."

Rhunön's eyes lit up again. "Really?"

"Yeah. Built Crescent Rose myself seven years ago. She served me faithfully since then, but then we faced Durza. If she couldn't survive him, I doubt this sword will last much longer." Ruby raised her right arm, still holding the sword.

"You didn't use magic while forging it." Rhunön's shoulders slumped. It was a statement, not a question.

"Crescent Rose came before I was a Rider, and I don't know any to strengthen this sword except for basic protection."

"With your enemies, repair will not help." Rhunön handed Ruby back her Scroll. "Once a blade has been forged and quenched, you can protect it with an endless array of spells, but the metal itself remains as weak as ever. As you have seen, a Rider needs something more: a blade that can survive the most violent of impacts and one that is unaffected by most any magic. No, what you must do is sing spells over the hot metal while you are extracting it from the ore and also while you are forging it, so as to alter and improve the structure of the metal."

Ruby's shoulders slumped this time. "And that's something you can't do."

"I wouldn't be able to if I hadn't taken my oath. I have not the metal I need."

"Meteoric iron." Ruby slowly nodded her head.

"What was that?"

"Sorry. Meteoric iron is what we call brightsteel where I'm from. It's not exactly rare on rare there, but it's typically in Grimm occupied territory or buried a little underground…" Ruby trailed off and looked to where the Menoa tree stood. Could it be?

"A shame then. I cannot help you."

"Well…Thank you for your time." Ruby gave Rhunön a slight bow. "I'll let you get back to your work." She turned around and left the smith's house. Aaron was right behind her.

"I figured you'd want to meet her," Aaron finally spoke up.

"I was wondering where she lived." Ruby's excitement was building up again. "She forged all the Riders' swords? That's awesome! Not to be rude, but I guess that's why she actually looks old. And how did she have a screwdriver? I wouldn't think they'd be around here for a long time!" Ruby kept going on about everything she saw in Rhunön's forge, and some speculation. Aaron just walked alongside her, smiling the whole way.

They eventually made it back to the path that ran in front of the house Ruby was staying in. Cerise laid at the base, curled up like a croissant. She lifted her head and hummed in Ruby's direction.

Ruby faced Aaron as they came into line with Cerise. "Thanks for the 'tour,' Aaron. I had a great time."

"Same here. Maybe we can do this again sometime?" Aaron sounded unsure of himself.

"Works for me!" Ruby gave Aaron a quick hug, which he hesitantly returned. "Next time, my pick." Ruby pulled away and hopped up onto Cerise' saddle. "See you whenever!" Cerise jumped into the air and circled around the large tree.

So how'd it go? Cerise asked, more than a hint of amusement in her voice.

Wonderful. Ruby leaned forward and wrapped her arms around Cerise' neck. His tour was only two places, but they were incredible.

How's your head? Cerise sounded more serious that time.

Much better. I can't believe I had that panic attack a few hours ago.

Cerise hummed beneath Ruby. Well then, you should know I approve.

Thanks. Now I have to convince Aaron this isn't a bad thing and get Nalia's approval.

Getting a little ahead of yourself, aren't you?

Probably, but you know how long I've been waiting for that.

I do.

Wait a second…why were you waiting for me down there?

Oh, Yang told me you were out with Aaron.

Ruby tensed up, then sighed. She's going to grill me, isn't she?

Almost certainly. Cerise laughed beneath Ruby.

Might as well get it over with.

Cerise landed in her bowl bed and Ruby slid off. Resigned to her fate, Ruby walked down the stairs to the main room. Yang was sitting in the dining room looking at something on her scroll with Halcyon looking over her shoulder. Most of her armor was off, but she still had her exoskeleton on. "Nothing work on your back, Yang?" Ruby asked as she picked up a strawberry from a wooden bowl.

The blonde looked over her shoulder. "They have an idea, but they're not going to try anything until they know it will work." She turned around fully, a large smirk on her face. "But it's looking like something's working out for you today."

Ruby blushed. "Yeah. It went well." She ate the strawberry, hopefully hiding how red her cheeks probably got.

"So what happened on your first date?" Yang leaned forward in her chair. Halcyon looked at Ruby with a similar interest. Of course he would. He's Yang's dragon.

"Well, it was mostly talking and walking. Like, I'm surprised I a voice right now. Well first he showed me the Menoa tree."

"Really." Yang's smirk partially disappeared. "You find out if there's anything there?"

"There's something metal under the roots. I'm not sure what. Aaron hadn't heard of the Vault of Souls, but told be to ask Nalia when she's back."

"That's one of Solembum's mysteries solved." Yang's smirk returned. "Now, back to your date…"

Ruby hesitated. Should she tell Yang about the other Shade, or wait? It wouldn't hurt…but it would probably better to wait until she knew more. Instead, Ruby went on to explain the rest of Aaron's 'tour.' Yang looked like she was eating the whole thing up.

"So, we all know you like him, but does he like you?"

"Well…" Ruby trailed the toes on her left foot across the floor. "We kind of agreed to going on a second date at the bottom of the tree."

"Awwww!" Yang leaned back in her chair and laughed. Halcyon joined in as well. "Ruby and Aaron, sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G."

"Yang, grow up, and we didn't kiss."

Yang and Halcyon gasped, and the former covered her mouth with a hand. "Ruby! Really, on your first date? I expected more from you!" Halcyon added a fake sounding growl to the mix.

Ruby looked between the two. "Wait, what…" Then it clicked for her. "Oh. OH! Gosh! No! Ew! Gross! Yaaaang! Really? Did you need to put that image in my head?" She closed her eyes and turned away. "Fluffy kittens. Fluffy kittens. Fluffy kittens…"

Yang laughed behind her. Ruby scowled and glared at her sister. Yang had a genuine smile on her face, not the mischievous one from earlier. "Ruby, never grow up."

Ruby growled at her sister walked back up the stairs to her and Cerise' bedroom. Her dragon watched her as she approached. How'd it go?

"Oh, like you don't know." Ruby punched her dragon's snout with her natural hand.

You won't get any of that from me tonight. Vert and I just shared a lovely flight around the forest.

"Can we please change the topic?"

I may have a few ideas for a new model Crescent Rose, if you want to hear.

Ruby smiled. "Now we're talking."

Blake sighed as she read through the latest information from the Underground Highway. The Alagaësian part was going just fine. Weiss and her team successfully bought four people's freedom, and more were likely on the way from that procession she saw. The teams in Belatona and Feinster were ready with more supplies and transport to Surda.

All the problems at the moment came from the young Kingdom to the south. There was so much politicking to get people homes. Blake's Surdan contacts wanted the exact same thing, but they needed some assurance that the people brought in would be a benefit to society if they were just given homes. Couldn't they see that these people suffered enough? Blake would have paid out of her own pocket if she could, but she didn't have any of the local currency, and didn't have a way to earn it due to how the Varden ran. At least Brom said he'd try and secure funds.

Even though Blake hadn't been in Tronjheim long, it still didn't feel right that Brom wasn't the leader of the Varden anymore. She didn't have a problem with Deynor, but he had only commanded the Varden for two days. What really felt weird was Brom taking orders from Blake, instead of giving them. In fact, she was just about to send him to Surda to negotiate housing for anyone freed in Dras-Leona. He wanted to see this operation succeed just as much as the rest of them.

Blake rolled up the scroll she was reading and put it on top of the growing stack. While she was doing her best to keep her operation going smoothly, she could tell she wasn't cut out for this. Maybe it would have been better to send Ren or Jaune to Dras-Leona instead of Weiss. Her teammate actually knew what to do with all this paper and politics. Then again, hindsight was twenty-twenty.

When they all got back to Remnant, Blake hoped Weiss would stay the heiress of the SDC. It was a miracle that she wasn't excommunicated after all this time, especially after she broke out of her home before their second year at Beacon. Then again, there would have been a lot of political fallout if she was excommunicated. Weiss would definitely be the best fit for the company. Her little brother sounded exactly like someone who would continue the mistreatment.

Blake left her office and started walking down the halls of Tronjheim. The lower levels were much more populated by those near the Dragonhold, as in there were actually more people than just Angela walking around. It was still nowhere near as packed as Vale. For the most part, people just looked past Blake, or their gaze lingered on her cat ears for a few seconds before carrying on. Either they knew all people with animal parts with the Varden held power, or they saw Gambol Shroud on Blake's back.

She made her way back to the rooms that the rest of the Remmartians were given after the Riders left. Pyrrha should be back from her magician's meeting, Jaune from his training session, and Ren was probably checking Weiss' Bullhead or meditating in his room. It was actually a good mix with the four of them. All the level heads were appreciated after spending so much time around Ruby and Yang. But…at times it got boring. Blake had to admit their antics had grown on her.

Blake knocked on the door to Jaune and Pyrrha's 'apartment.' Seconds later, the door opened inward revealing Pyrrha on the other side. "Blake, come in." The Faunus did as asked and Pyrrha closed the door behind her. "How is the Underground Highway working?"

"You know, politics, paperwork, dealing with angry people." Blake sighed as she sat on one of the out ancient equivalent of a couch. "Who knew these things existed without all the politics of Remnant? Just the paperwork alone is exhausting."

"It could be worse," Jaune called from another room. He stepped into a doorway connected to the main room. "You could be dealing with Atlas lawyers."

Blake rolled her eyes. "There is that. At least then I might have Weiss on my side." She paused as Pyrrha and Jaune sat down next to each other. "Speaking of Weiss, she reported in earlier. The first batch is out of Dras-Leona. They're on their way to Belatona now. So far, Weiss doesn't think they've been spotted."

Jaune nodded. "It's nice to have some good news for a change."

"I don't suppose you've heard anything from the rest of your team?" Pyrrha asked.

Blake shook her head. "Aaron and Yaela said they wouldn't be able to easily contact us from the forest. Considering the elves here haven't gone crazy, the Riders made it to Du Weldenvarden safely."

"No news is good news, I guess." Jaune shrugged.

"Pyrrha," Blake turned to the Maiden, "how are the magicians here treating you?"

"Considering how skilled everyone else is," Pyrrha began, "me only using fire doesn't stand out. The only part where I don't fit in is with healing. Amber didn't know how to heal injuries when…you know, and neither did the Fall Maiden before her. It's up to me to figure it out on my own, or ask Ruby or Ozpin for help. As long as I want to keep my abilities a secret, I can't experiment. Not that I'd do that without one of the Riders nearby in case something went wrong."

"Similar story here." Jaune raised a hand of an arm rest. "Let's face it, I'm probably the worst fighter that came from Remnant, but I'm still able to best some of the best human warriors here with ease. I don't hold back, but I don't want to kill these people either." He sighed. "We're at war, I know, but I still don't like the thought that I could run through dozens of people without them getting through my Aura."

"You have a problem with that last part?" Blake raised an eyebrow.

"I'm not in this for the glory. None of us are, but that's exactly what's going to happen." Jaune shook his head. "Most people here don't even know about Aura or Dust. What will they think when they see a Bullhead fly by itself?"

"You're thinking about another Vacuo situation?" Pyrrha asked.

"Another reason we didn't take an army with us." Blake shrugged. "It's easier to keep tabs on all our tech. Less chance of things falling into native hands."

"Yet we'll still use the Bullheads to rain death on the Empire's army, not just the Forsworn."

"Hopefully we won't have to. If they see their commanders and their allied dragons shredded, they might surrender."

"The army isn't our enemy," Pyrrha said. "We'll leave them alone...or leave them for the Varden to take care of."

"Blake," a fourth voice entered the conversation, and it wasn't Ren's. "Blake, can you hear me?"

Blake reached into a pocket and took out her deactivated Scroll. Instead of a black screen though, a frustrated man appeared on the screen. "Mich. Is Sarah otherwise occupied?"

"She's missing, ma'am," the man said.

"What?" Blake's heart froze. "What happened?"

"She and one other warrior set off after that procession from Dras-Leona. The warrior returned with two others, but not Sarah." Mich scowled. "The Forsworn were in the area, that much I can confirm. Two flew toward the mountain, only one flew away. The warrior told this tall tale about Sarah bringing forth white birds and scorpions the size of dragons and white knights that stood taller than Kull. He spoke of a dragon's death roar, but I find it hard to believe that a single magicless woman can kill a dragon. He did not mention how Sarah went missing. If you ask me, this man turned Sarah Katrinasdaughter over to the King's men, if he didn't murder her. They were ill met in Furnost."

Blake shook her head. "Believe him about the white creatures. Sarah is a unique warrior. Do not inflict punishment until I have a word with him or your spellcaster confirms or denies his tale. Now are you sure she is missing?"

"I inspected the area myself. There was no sign of any large conflict, and the only sign of Sarah was this strange vial." Mich brought a green Dust tube into view, one that would fit perfectly on Myrtenaster.

"That's hers…" This wasn't good at all. "Where did the dragons go?"

"The one I didn't see again might have returned to Dras-Leona. At best, if Sarah is alive, she is being held there. If not…" Mich's face darkened, "the other dragon flew toward Urû'baen. We cannot do anything to help if that is the case."

Blake's fingers turned white from clutching her scroll. "Do you have any other information?"

"Not at the moment." Mich looked at something Blake couldn't see. "Our spellcaster is looking faint as well. I am afraid I have to cut this conversation short. We will hold the man responsible." The screen faded back to black, bringing silence back to the room.

For the first time in years, Blake felt truly angry. Before then, she never understood why people in movies threw their Scrolls against the ground or the walls. Now she had to fight the temptation herself. She looked up from her Scroll at the couple. "You two heard all that, right?"

Both of them nodded. "What do we do?" Pyrrha asked.

"The better question is what can we do?" Jaune crossed his arms. "We can't do anything around Urû'baen until the others get back from Du Weldenvarden. Best case scenario is that those under cover in Dras-Leona can get her out before…" His eyes widened. "Oh. That's not good."

Blake growled. "She knows everything. Dust, Aura, Semblances, the inner workings of a Bullhead. Every advantage we'd have could be gone."

"Weiss would never give us up," Pyrrha defended.

Jaune sighed. "It may not be up to her. You remember when Aaron and Velvet trained us to defend our minds? Velvet managed to break through every time. She's the strongest attacker, but Aaron says she's nowhere near where the Forsworn's level." Jaune lowered his head. "If Weiss is still alive, she's in very real danger."

"We can't sit around and do nothing." Blake stood up and ran her hands through her hair. What could she do? One of her best friends was missing and potentially in the heart of hostile territory. She froze as an idea came to her. "I'm about to say something incredibly stupid, and I expect you two to tell me why I shouldn't go to Deynor about this." She paused. "Brom and I take my Bullhead out to the caravan on its way to Belatona and figure out how what happened ourselves. We might be able figure out what really happened."

Blake waited for either Jaune or Pyrrha to speak up, but they both stayed silent. Did they actually think it wasn't a bad idea? "We need to know what's going on, fast," Jaune finally said. "There's probably a better way to do this, but we don't have the time to come up with one."

"Are you saying it's a good idea?" Blake turned on Jaune.

"I'm not. It could reveal us before we want it and waste fuel for the Bullheads. But if Weiss was captured, we won't be hidden anyway."

"Will you be needing any extra help?" Pyrrha offered.

"If I can get Brom to come with me, no. Thanks anyway." Blake turned to leave but stopped in front of the door. "We need to get a message to the others. We need them back yesterday." Blake left the room and marched straight for Deynor's study. She had a friend to get back.

Well...both my college basketball teams got sent home early from the tournament...that sucked...

Anyway, hope the date scene wasn't too terrible.