They're sitting on the couch, all by themselves. Taiyang's gone back to Signal, both to give the headmistress his report on Neo, the criminal they'd been sheltering for over a month, and to check up on CFVY.
Yang's been almost silent this whole time. Taiyang had wanted to know what happened between them to make Neo leave. Yang refused to say. Blake had backed her up, saying, "She'll tell us if and when she wants to."
He hadn't looked happy about it, but at least he'd listened.
They're watching...something on the TV. Blake can't remember what. She's been focused on Yang anyway, who's sitting on the other side of the couch with her arm wrapped around her knees. Whatever it is, it's gone to commercial now. Two old men are discussing something in rapid monotones. Despite their undeniably different faces, Blake has trouble telling them apart.
"Can we agree at least that it's open to interpretation?" one of them says.
"I don't think it's open in a good way," the other one says. "The author raises questions and refuses to answer them. And when he's asked about it he just waves that flag as if it applies to everything. 'Open to interpretation.'"
"But can we agree that it is, regardless of its quality, which, it could be argued, is entirely subjective and based on preconceived notions?"
"I think we can."
"Good, because-"
The second man interrupts. "Just a moment, if I may. I take offense with your tone; I do not believe it's justified at this point in time, and I was under the impression that we were having an earnest debate, not a shouting match."
"I agree with your assessment; I wholeheartedly withdraw my previous comment and the tone with which it was uttered."
"Thank you."
"You're welcome."
The argument continues, but the audio begins to fade. The two old men are revealed to have been on a monitor this entire time, which a third younger man steps in front of.
"There is a time and a place for culture." he says. "For 'earnest debates'. And there's a time for action. We cannot hide our heads in the sand any longer. Tell your councilman to vote yes on Proposition 1912C. We can fight-"
Static fills the airwaves. Yang and Blake both jump.
The man reappears for a moment. "-Grimm." he says. "...fight...White Fan... togeth-" And he's gone.
The image momentarily resolves itself into a green-skinned cartoon man holding a piece of chalk, and other less comprehensible things. The only sound to be heard is that of a test pattern.
Then it dissolves again.
The next thing they can clearly see is a golden hallway. At the end is an elevator, in which stands a black shape, swaying gently back and forth. A noise in the background alternates between high and low pitches as a drum beats in a staccato rhythm.
The camera zooms in, slowly at first, then faster, until the black shape is revealed to be a dark-skinned man standing in front of a picture of an eye. He begins to sing in a deep baritone. "Here is our tree...that primitively grows. And when you go to bed, scarecrows from the far east come to eat...its tender fruits."
Blake stares at the screen, utterly bewildered. Out of the corner of her eye she can see Yang sitting up a little straighter (straight, she thinks with an inward smile) and doing the same.
The strange broadcast continues while the man extols the virtues of money against a backdrop of nightmarish imagery. Occasionally another man interjects, wondering how 'we' can know 'we are still human'. What about us? Blake thinks distantly. What about Faunus?
She gets an answer at the end of the broadcast. The music builds into a hellish crescendo while the man caresses himself and croons what seems to be the title over and over before suddenly shouting it directly at the camera. A yellow cartoon sponge screams and begins to cry while running away. The image of the green-skinned cartoon man reappears, then it cuts back to static.
One more image slowly fades into view: a glass case, inside of which is Yang's arm, still wearing the other half of Ember Celica. The White Fang's logo appears half a second before Blake turns the screen off.
"Yang," she says.
But Yang is already on her feet. "We have to go." she says, racing up the stairs.
"What do you mean?" Blake finds herself asking, even though she already knows.
"You saw it." Yang says. Blake's hot on her heels. "He's coming for me. I know he is."
"It's my fault." Blake says. Yang looks at her, her eyes still purple but wild. "I told my mom. About us. And... They were spying on me. The White Fang. Ilia must have told someone." Blake sinks down onto Ruby's bed. She doesn't look at Yang.
Yang rushes to her side. "We can fix it," she says, wrapping her arm around Blake in a hug. "We can make it better. But we have to go. Now."
"Go where?" Blake asks feebly.
Yang takes a breath. Her mind is racing. She takes another. "Haven." she says at last. "That's where Ruby's going."
"How would we get there?"
"I can fly us. I've got a license."
Blake blinks. "What? When did-"
"I got it long time ago." Yang says, trying to be airy. "I talked about it on Merlot's island, remember?"
Blake frowns. "Yeah." she says after she has to think about it. "It's been a while hasn't it?"
Yang laughs. "Yup." she says. "Good times." Then she frowns as well. "Oh, but... Getting approved is going to be a problem." She shakes her head. "We'll figure it out. I'll grab my arm, and leave a note for dad-"
"Yang." Blake says. Yang gets up. She hurries to her desk, not saying a word. "Yang!" Yang still doesn't say anything. "We're not in a position to go anywhere. We're still seeing things, and... You've got so much to unpack, with your dad, and with CFVY-"
"'Well, not every story has a neat and tidy ending.'" Yang says. "Good advice from Weiss." She laughs again. "Hey it rhymed."
"Yang, listen to me." Blake says. She puts a hand on Yang's shoulder. Yang shrugs it off. "You're running off adrenaline. I know. I was the same way after Beacon." Yang finally stops. "I'm not saying we can't go eventually. But let's give it some time, talk it over with people."
"Didn't you tell me just last night I need to trust myself? Trust my instincts?" Yang snaps. She turns her head. Her eyes are red. "My instincts are telling me to run. And you're telling me to stay. What am I supposed to do?"
Blake is at a loss. Thankfully, Yang's Scroll starts to chime. Yang pulls it out. "Hello?" she says angrily.
"Yang!" her father's voice says. "I'm still at Signal. Did you see that thing on the TV?"
Yang swallows. Her eyes turn back to purple. "Yeah." she says, a little more calmly. "Blake and I both did."
"The headmistress wants to see you. You're not in any trouble; don't worry. We just want to discuss our options."
"We'll be there soon." She puts her Scroll away. "Sorry." she says. "I should've asked you first."
Blake shakes her head. "It's fine." she says. "I want to go."
"So let's go." Yang hurries out the bedroom door. Blake looks after her for a moment before she follows.
A guard approaches them as they step into the entrance hall at Signal. "Miss Xiao Long?" they say. "This way please."
Yang and Blake follow. "So much for not being in trouble huh?" Yang says, her shoulders sagging.
"They probably just wanted to be sure you knew the way." Blake says.
"They didn't have to. I mean I went here!" Yang says. She doesn't elaborate.
The guard leads them up a dizzying spiral staircase to the headmistress's office, where Taiyang and a woman Blake can only assume to be the headmistress are waiting for them. There's a metronome slowly ticking away on the woman's desk. Tick...tick...tick...tick. "Hey dad." Yang manages to say. Taiyang offers a strained smile. "Mistress Cerise." Yang says to the woman.
The headmistress's smile is more natural than Taiyang's. "In all the years you attended Signal, I don't think I ever once called you into this office." she says. "Not directly. You came up more than once with my daughter, for moral support. I just wish your first time could be under better circumstances."
"Me too." Yang says. Mistress Cerise motions both Yang and Blake toward some empty chairs in a half-circle before her desk. "So... That...thing." Yang begins.
Cerise stretches her hands. "From a preliminary analysis, we're guessing it's intended as a reference to the increased tensions between kingdoms. 'Building walls', and such. There are still many things we don't understand: several of the images onscreen don't match anything our experts have ever seen before."
"With all respect, Headmistress," Taiyang says, and Cerise looks at him. "The cultural influences aren't what we're here to talk about."
"That's correct." Cerise says. "The end of the broadcast appears to have singled you out." She looks back to Yang as she says this. "Do you have any idea why this could be?"
"I do." Blake says. Cerise blinks. Blake introduces herself. "Sorry. Blake Belladonna. I'm Yang's..." She blushes a little. "I'm her girlfriend."
"Ah." Cerise says. "The two of you must have formed the latter half of Team RWBY."
"...Yes." Blake says. "But I have reason to believe that at least one of the people involved in the broadcast is Adam Taurus, leader of an alleged splinter group of the White Fang." Yang twitches slightly when Blake says his name.
Cerise nods. "I recognize the name." she says. "Can you offer any specifics as to why you believe this?"
"He..." Blake takes a deep breath. Yang wishes she was sitting on her other side so she could offer Blake a hand to hold. Instead she just smiles at her. "He's my ex-boyfriend. He's...very determined." Blake clutches her stomach uneasily. "During a recent trip to Menagerie, I told my parents about my relationship with Yang. I wasn't aware at the time that the White Fang had sent someone to spy on me. When I found out however, I confronted the spy, and I... Begged her not to tell anyone. She told me that...she knew where her duty lay. I assume that she informed her superiors, and that they informed Adam."
Cerise frowns. She rubs the arms of her chair with her hands. "That's an awful lot of assumptions." she says slowly. "Let's suppose you're right, on both counts." she says. "Why do you believe your ex-boyfriend took such a roundabout method of confronting the two of you?"
"It wasn't exactly roundabout the first time." Yang mutters.
"Excuse me?"
Yang raises the stub of her right arm. "He did this to me. Blake got it worse."
"I see." Cerise says. "Miss Belladonna?"
Blake narrows her eyes in thought. "I assume, again, that he doesn't know where Yang is now. The broadcast was probably going to go through anyway, and he persuaded the people in charge who thought it up to allow him to add his own message at the end."
Cerise nods. "Tai? I'm sorry I haven't consulted you more in this; she is your daughter after all." she says.
"I'm used to it." Taiyang says. There's a faintly sullen note in his voice. "The way I see it, if this Adam Taurus is as determined as Blake says he is, then it might be only a matter of time before he comes after Yang himself. If he's one of the high-up muckety-mucks, he'll probably have a lot of support." Taiyang shakes his head. "We could bog 'em down in the forest, but a lot of students could end up getting hurt."
"I don't think that's going to happen." Blake says. She's too focused on talking to notice Yang's hand clutching at the arm of her chair. "They'd have to use a lot of airships to get an army here. And with the air travel ban-"
"I agree." Cerise says to Blake. "And an invasion solely for one girl-" She pauses. "Young woman, excuse me. An invasion solely for one young woman he may or may not know that his ex-girlfriend is involved with... It seems excessive. Not to mention the fact that Miss Belladonna is also assuming that he doesn't know where Yang is..."
Adam's words are ringing in Blake's ears. "And as I set out upon this world and deliver the justice mankind so greatly deserves, I will make it my mission to destroy everything you love." She looks at Yang. "Starting with her."
"You don't know him like I do." Blake says. She reaches over and pats Yang's leg. Yang recoils. Blake tries not to let it bother her.
"Bearing all of this in mind, what do you all think we should do?" Cerise asks.
"We could take an airship." Yang offers after a moment.
"An airship where?" Taiyang says.
"I don't know..." Yang mutters. "I still have my pilot's license. I could-" She frowns. "I could help with the evacuation! Sun and his team are from Haven. Maybe they want to go back."
"Yang," Blake says. "What about-"
Yang shakes her head. "Neat and tidy endings, remember?"
Taiyang and Cerise look confused.
"We need time to think about this." Cerise says. "Maybe-"
"I've had time to think about it!" Yang interrupts. "I had the whole walk here, and then the walk up here!"
"I don't think that's enough. You've been through a lot, and a trip to Haven, even by air, isn't something to be taken lightly."
Yang looks at the floor, trying not to cry.
Tick...tick...tick...tick...
Cerise exhales quietly. "As I said, I think we all need time to think about this. In the meantime, I know of one or two excellent psychologists nearby. Perhaps you could meet with one of them."
Yang shrugs. "Maybe." she murmurs. "I kind of just want to talk to Coco and Velvet, and the rest of them." She looks up shyly at Mistress Cerise. "Are they okay?"
Cerise says, "They're recovering from their extensive hangovers in the infirmary. You'll have to speak with the doctor in charge, but I can't imagine they'll be able to carry on a conversation, much less travel, until tomorrow."
Yang nods.
"We can stop in on the way out." Taiyang says. "Thanks again for meeting with us, headmistress."
"No need to thank me." Cerise says. "This was something that needed to be done." She sees them to the door, smiling. But Yang doesn't return it.
"Which way to the infirmary?" she asks her father when they're at the bottom of the staircase once again.
He purses his lips in thought. "This way." he says after a moment. He turns left, adding, "Not used to thinking about it from this angle."
Blake falls in step with Yang. She doesn't say anything, just waits for Yang to speak. "What do I do?" Yang finally asks her. "Everyone's saying 'stay'..."
"I can't make your decision for you," Blake starts to say.
"Please Blake." Yang says. "I just need someone to take charge. Just..." She sighs. "Help me sort my thoughts out."
Blake thinks about it. "You should stay." she says. "You owe it to your friends to say goodbye. And you owe it to yourself to try and recover."
Yang inhales deeply, and lets it go. "You're right." she says. "You're right."
"Separate beds?" Yang jokes when they arrive. "That must be a first."
Coco groans. "How are you so cheerful?" she mutters without opening her eyes.
"I'm not hungover for one thing." Yang says. She's careful to keep her voice low. She looks over questioningly at Velvet, who's lying flat on her back, her eyes closed, in another bed.
"Where'd they find her?" Blake asks.
"They didn't tell me, I didn't ask." Coco says. She puts a hand to her head. "Could you pass me some water?"
Yang takes the cup from Coco's bedside table and carefully places it in one of Coco's questing hands. "Finally paying you back for that one time." she says.
"You don't have to. But thanks." Coco opens her eyes as she drains the cup and passes it back to Yang. "Velvet had to be sedated." Coco says in response to Yang's continued glances at Coco's unresponsive teammate. "Her Faunus heritage means her hearing's even worse than mine." She frowns. "In that...it's better. More sensitive."
"That makes sense." Yang says. "What about Yatsuhashi? He must've drank more than all the rest of you combined."
Coco smiles weakly. "That lightweight? Not likely." Yatsuhashi groans. Coco raises her voice a little. "Keep it down big guy. The way you couldn't last night. Your team is trying to get some rest."
Yang looks at Yatsuhashi. He raises one finger, turning over with another groan so he can be sure that Coco sees it.
Coco cackles to herself. She raises the same finger. "Right back at you." she says.
They both roll over again. Coco looks odd in a hospital gown. Yang supposes they all would, but Coco especially. She looks pale and tired and very very human.
"Where's Blake?" Coco whispers after a while.
Blake steps forward from behind Yang.
Coco smiles at her. "Good, you're...still here."
Blake doesn't know what to say. Yang sits down on the edge of Coco's bed. Blake looks around for a chair, but there aren't any in reach, and she doesn't think that the noise she would make by pulling one over would be a good thing. So she keeps standing. The doctor comes in. He sees that Coco's busy and starts with Fox first. Their voices are a gentle murmur in the background, a soft low sound to add to all the other soft low sounds: the hum of the machines that keep track of everyone's vitals, the steady beeping of each of the four heartrate monitors, the sounds of students chattering outside in the hall. Yang finds herself nodding off.
"What've you two been up to?" Coco says suddenly. Yang shakes herself awake. "Anything fun?"
Yang looks at the wall. "Not really." she says.
Blake fills in for her. "Something happened with Neo." she says. "She's gone."
"Gone?" Coco repeats. Yang nods. "Well. Good riddance." Yang frowns. "Honey, you know I tried giving her a shot. But she did nothing to endear herself to me. And a lot that went the other way."
Yang frowns some more. Blake takes this as an opportunity to leave. "We'll let you get some rest." she says to Coco.
Coco's head is sinking down into the pillow. She makes a noncommittal noise in response.
"Come on Yang." Blake says.
Yang turns her head. "What?" she asks.
"It's time to go."
"Oh." She gets up.
No one makes any attempt to stop them. CFVY seems to be dead to the world for the most part, and the doctor's too busy checking up on them to notice Blake and Yang stepping out into the hallway. It's quiet now that most of the students are in class.
"What should we do?" Blake asks.
Yang shrugs a little. "Where's dad?"
"He said he had to get back to work." Blake frowns. "Are you okay?"
Yang shrugs again. "I'm okay."
"You were right there next to him when he said he had to go."
"I said I'm okay." Yang says. Blake flinches reflexively, even though there's no anger in Yang's voice. There's hardly anything in fact.
"You don't look so good." she says.
"I'm okay. I'm always okay." Yang tries to smile. "'But I'm okay. How are you? Thanks for asking, thanks for asking...'"
Blake watches her uneasily.
"So..." Yang flaps her arms, both her whole one and her stub. "What should we do?"
"I want to help you." Blake says.
"Help me? With what?" Yang says.
"Anything. You seem...kind of out of it." Blake says.
Yang leans back against the wall. She drums her fingers against her side. "I don't know what I want to do." she admits. "I know that's not new. We talked about it way back in...that one place. The mission we went on. But it just feels worse right now."
"What are your options?" Blake asks.
"I don't know." Yang sighs.
"Do you want to know how I see it?" Blake asks. Yang shrugs. Blake presses on anyway. "Option 1: We hang around campus for a while until Coco and her crew are feeling better. Option 2: We go back to the house and...I don't know what. Option 3: We could head into Vale and do some shopping."
"Shopping?" Yang says.
"We could get you some new clothes. Something to wear when we're ready to head out. You didn't seem to have much in your closet."
"I don't know." Yang looks at the wall across from her. "I don't know if I'd be able to choose anything."
"We don't have to make any decisions today. We'll just browse."
Yang continues to stare at the wall across from her. "Is there an option 4?" she asks.
"Probably." Blake says. "Why?"
Yang shrugs. "Good things come in fours, right? Ruby, Weiss, you, and me, I guess."
"You guess?" Yang doesn't respond. "Option 4-" Blake thinks hard. "Option 4, we go find one of those psychologists the headmistress mentioned, and see if we can schedule an appointment."
Yang sighs. "I don't like that." Blake waits. "But I don't like any of the other options either. I..."
"Do you want me to take charge for you again?"
Yang looks over shyly. "Would you?"
Blake nods. "I think we should go shopping. That's what most girls our age are supposed to do, right?"
Yang finally smiles. "When have we ever been normal?"