October 19th
City Of Atlas
United Kingdom Of Atlas
Downtown
5:37 PM

"You look beautiful Emmy," Emmett said as he wrapped his arms around her tightly. "Really, you do. I don't know how you do it because you always look perfect."

"Emmett…" Emmeline said as she laughed and leaned into his embrace. "I -"

"Emmy, I love you." Emmett kissed her forehead before cupping her face in his hands. "I love you so much and I am so happy that you are okay."

"Hey," Emmeline said, placing his hands on her noticeably growing abdomen. "It's alright. Hope is going to be okay, I promise."

Feeling his daughter kick, Emmett smiled. "I think she's going to be just as strong as you and Cas are. Hopefully not as vicious as me."

"You're not vicious," Emmeline told him while he lifted her up and carried her to the couch where he pulled her close while they laid down. "At least I don't think that you are."

"I don't know…." Emmett said as he shook his head. "I wanted to kill my own sister -"

"Emmett, you were jaded, and you also didn't kill her." Emmeline reminded him, resting her head on his shoulder. "Her trial starts soon enough, and I have a feeling that she isn't going to get off. That is especially true since Rebecca Neale's trial only wrapped up recently and she was given a life sentence for her crimes and, honestly, Cinder's crimes are of a similar degree though nowhere near as horrible as what Neale caused."

"She aided and abetted it," Emmett pointed out and she nodded.

"Yes." Emmeline sighed heavily. "It's horrible, all of this, but it is almost worse for us to see what your own sister has become because she was, at one point, family. It's just now she's a monster and a psychopathic killer who wants nothing more or less than power."

"She's not family anymore," Emmett told her. "I'm not going to give her any more chances to change because she isn't going to change at this point. She...she…" Emmett's voice wavered and she gave him a sympathetic look. "She wanted to tear our family apart and...and coupled with all of her other crimes….I can't think of her as my sister."

"I know," Emmeline murmured. "I wish she wasn't this way, but she is and I don't know what to tell you because at the end of the day you're always going to have some memory of who she was coupled with the recognition of who she became. I can't imagine what that's like for you."

"I could have lost you if Elizabeth hadn't spoken up…" Emmett said as he drew her closer. "If she hadn't then I don't even want to imagine what could have happened."

"The danger is safely locked away, Emmett, I know," She sighed. "We both do. You and I have both seen her and spoken with her -"

"Cas wants to talk to her though…" Emmett's voice broke as he imagined the kinds of things his 'sister' could say or attempt to do to his daughter. "But I...I...don't want her to go through that and I don't know if she won't try to pull anything on Cas..."

"I don't know what to do with that," Emmeline said, feeling conflicted. "From the perspective of the law and as simply General Ciel, I know Cas has every right to talk to her...especially since Cas is a biological relation. But at the same time, as her mother, I don't know if I want to have a fourteen year old exposed to some of the things that Cinder has said to us. I don't honestly believe that Cinder would hold her tongue just a little when speaking to Cas and to be honest I think she would probably be more provocative for the sake of scaring her."

"It's your decision," Emmett said and kissed her forehead. "You're more tactical than I am and if you think that Cas can handle speaking to my quote un quote sister then you can let her."

"Legally speaking, I should let her." Emmeline sighed. "And I feel a little too close to the issue to make a proper choice."

Emmett let silence pass between them before gently trying to get her to clarify. "So are you going to let her?"

Reluctantly, Emmeline nodded. "If that's what she wants to do, then legally speaking I can't stop her or, more accurately, I shouldn't stop her."

"Then we'll let her do so if she really wants to," Emmett told her. "You're making the right decision."

"After the trial concludes, though," Emmeline said. "And after I get a second opinion."

"That's protocol anyways," Emmett responded with a kiss to his forehead. "I love you."

"I love you too," Emmeline kissed him gently before letting him hold her. "I love you too."

Lifting her up into his arms, Emmett brought her back up on to her feet carefully with his arms wrapped around her. Spinning gently with her in his arms, Emmeline laughed as she let her legs be weak so that she could fall into him with his arms steadying her. Kissing her lips softly, Emmett smiled as he wrapped an arm around her while Cas came into the room and started giggling as she saw her parents. Placing her scroll down, Cas sat down on the ground and split while sticking out her tongue, causing her parents to laugh as they got her off the ground.

"Cas," Emmett said through laughs. "You don't have to fight for attention."

"Do I?" Cas asked sarcastically. "Do I?"

Emmeline smirked and returned her sarcasm. "Well maybe you do if you're so convinced."

Cas shrugged. "Maybe Hope and I will have to form a cult?"

"I better not hear about my daughters starting a cult," Emmett told her with mock sharpness. "So don't even try that."

"Oh, don't be so hard on her!" Emmeline exclaimed as Emmett brought her closer to him. "She's fourteen, that's when you're supposed to do stupid things."

"That's right," Cas stated sarcastically. "I'm going shoplifting."

Knowing she was joking, both Emmett and Emmeline laughed before Emmeline responded. "Alright honey but make sure that you wear a warm coat because of the wind."

Cas grinned like a maniac. "Got it mommy!"

November 3rd
Government Offices Of The Atlesian Council
Department Of Justice
City Of Atlas
United Kingdom Of Atlas
Security Level: Maximum
Necessary Security Clearance: Maximum
Downtown
5:59 PM

The judge of the southern district of Atlas sighed heavily before she spoke. "Pertaining to the immediate trial of -"

"Get on with it already!" Cinder snapped, attempting to break out of her cuffs again but to no avail as she glared at the court. "The fact that this had to be held an office of the Department Of Justice is proof that the Atlesian Council doesn't have enough -"

"The immediate trial of Cinder Fall, by birth known as Ashlynn Schnee," She said sharply. "Third day of the trial. The prosecution, Kiara Melissa Davis, will begin with her presentation of the evidence against the defendant."

"You are Cinder Carissa Fall," Davis said, a ridiculously large file clutched to her chest as she moved towards Cinder. "But you were born under the name of Ashlynn Madeline Cinder Jaina Schnee. As of now, you are forty six years of age."

"Incorrect," Cinder hissed. "I'm thirty one."

The room was silenced by that statement before Davis shook her head.

"No," She said slowly. "You were thirty one fifteen years ago."

"I'm thirty one!" Cinder screamed, standing up though she was restrained by security who injected her with her third dose of sedatives for the day. "And if you want proof, my blood, my DNA can prove it!"

Davis hesitantly walked towards her and showed her the last public photograph that had been taken of her before her disappearance. "You may look the same, minus the hair, as you did fifteen years ago but that does not make you that age still."

Shutting her mouth to avoid saying too much, Cinder didn't respond, and Davis chose to take that as understanding.

"Miss Schnee -" She began.

"Fall," Cinder corrected her with anger spilling over in her voice. "Miss Fall."

Davis sighed, knowing that it would be easier to get her to cooperate if she felt respected. She had dealt with tough cases like this before, both recently and fairly long in the past such as some of the cases like this that she had prosecuted under President Edward S. Ciel, and she knew how the minds of these people worked. Speaking slowly to start, Kiara Davis tried to strike reason with her, however unlikely that was to happen. "Miss Fall. Are you aware of the multiple charges coming against you?"

Cinder smirked. "Is one of them the assassination of Emmeline Ciel?"

Davis narrowed her eyes. "You are charged with multiple counts of first degree murder -"

"Of course -" Cinder said, retaining her smirk.

"As well as aiding and abetting the genocide in Vacuo -" Kiara went on.

"Is Rosalinde Varna going to be charged for the executions of the mercenaries that Rebecca Neale and I -" Cinder began, her voice falsely sweet.

"Prime Minister Varna is not relevant to this -" Kiara said sharply.

"Is she -" Cinder questioned.

"You are also charged with the planting of the bomb that would have killed General Emmeline Cecilia Ciel," Davis said, her voice still sharp. "As well as the assassination of then President Edward Samuel Ciel –"

"Oh!" Cinder exclaimed, clasping her hands together. "You remember that -"

"You are, furthermore," Kiara took in a sharp breath. "Charged with extreme emotional, mental, and physical abuse over a period of seven years onto Elizabeth Lily Morell and you are also charged with multiple counts of rape against Miss Morell, whose story has been confirmed further than her several days of open testimony to me and the Council."

Cinder shrugged, looking at her nails in boredom. "So?"

Kiara stared at her in horror for a second and then concluded. "And, of course, you are charged with the most recent conspiracy plot that was only barely averted that was -"

"Kiara," Cinder said sweetly. "Is General Ciel really so important -"

"Miss Fall, do you plead guilty to these charges brought before you or do you plead not guilty?" Davis asked her with her arms loosely crossed and her file on Cinder-Ashlynn still in hand. "I am giving you one chance to confess before we go right into trying to find every single solitary thing that proves you to be guilty of these -"

"I do plead guilty to these charges." Cinder said with a smile that shook the room and caused Davis's eyebrows to raise in shock. "And I must say that I'm rather proud of myself for what I've done. I only regret that my...that some of my associates failed me and turned me in."

Kiara Davis, in her shock, forgot how to proceed and the room felt frozen as the judge read off several statements after the jury agreed that Cinder was in fact guilty as the woman herself had stated. As security began to take her out, Kiara felt herself growing faint as she heard all of the charges and the sentence being read off. If this had been before President Edward S. Ciel had signed the council's motion to remove capital punishment from the kingdom of Atlas, Cinder would have found herself to be executed but instead she was going to maximum security with a life sentence. There was still fear, though, because she knew that Ashlynn had always been cunning, and she was horrified by the mere thought of an escape and, with Torchwick still out there since the kingdom of Vale had released him on parole, Davis could imagine that there were people out there with no qualms about helping her escape.

"Madame Davis?" Leanne Tanner asked her from behind before giving up on public formalities and sighing heavily. "Kiara, General Ciel wants to speak with you. Department Of Local And National Law Enforcement."

Nodding numbly, Kiara tried to make herself feel more awake. "Of course."

Her heels clicking, Kiara began to move so fast that she walked out of her heels. Letting out a quiet noise of irritation as one of them snapped, Kiara stopped and picked up her heels before running off to the DLNLE. Bursting into the usual meeting room suddenly and half out of breath, Kiara couldn't blame General Ciel from giving her a look of concern before setting her scroll aside and manually locking the door. Kiara breathed a sigh of relief while the General paced for several minutes with her arms crossed before looking outside of the window for a few moments. As soon as she felt she had regained her composure, Ciel looked at Kiara sympathetically prior to sighing.

"Kiara," She said slowly. "I'm sorry that the trial was so -"

"It's fine," Kiara assured her. "Don't worry about it because either way Cinder Fall or Ashlynn Schnee is going to maximum security and that will be, hopefully, the last anyone hears of her."

Ciel eyed her seriously before shaking her head. "Just so you're aware, Elizabeth Morell was found not guilty in her trial and her entire name and record was cleared."

Kiara lost her composure. "Oh. Well, that is fair and I'm not surprised. The poor woman is tramuatised and, as intelligent and capable of performing her duties as she is, I did know that council reinstated her security clearance in its entirety."

"I know," Ciel said, sighing heavily. "I just hope that she'll be alright and able to move forward. I've always liked her, and I can't blame her for any of this. The things Cinder did to her…well, they'd break anyone."

"I agree," Kiara said, loosely folding her arms across her chest. "I'm just glad she's alright now."

Ciel nodded. "There's something I need to ask you, though."

Kiara Davis raised an eyebrow. "What's that?"

Sighing heavily, Emmeline Ciel paused for a moment before speaking. "I feel like a terrible mother asking this, but what should I warn Cas about before I let her talk to Cinder?"

"You're going to let your daughter talk to Cinder?" Kiara demanded though softened her tone when she saw the General flinch. "Okay, sorry. Well, honestly, just tell her what you would tell most people before letting them talk to a dangerous criminal."

Ciel ran her fingers through her hair before nodding. "Okay, oh and Kiara?"

"Yes?" She asked.

Smirking a little, Ciel motioned to her shoes. "You might want to consider wearing something more comfortable the next time that you're involved in a multiple day court proceeding."

November 13th
City Of Mantle
United Kingdom Of Atlas
Uptown
3:53 PM

"Well the good thing is that you're getting better!" Yang said as she wrapped her arms around Caitlin who was startled. "Oh, and I was just wondering -"

"Before you even say it," Allen started looking at Yang seriously. "No, we don't know why our mother was yelling at Ozpin through her scroll about why launching the undergraduates off the cliffs is a terrible, terrible idea for testing first years."

Yang laughed. "Do you think they actually launch us off the cliffs during our first year?"

"By the gods, I hope not!" Ivy exclaimed, collapsing into Caitlin's bungee cord chair. "I don't want to die quite yet."

Allen snorted. "We wouldn't die because it's not as if they kill of the initiates. That's just bullshit - even if the initiates do get launched off the cliffs. And you know that we have weapons and aura, right, even if we don't have our semblances."

"Which all of us do," Ivy said as she relaxed into the chair further. "Yang has her strength, I can shape shift, Caitlin can disappear, and you can change the outward emotions of people."

Caitlin smiled. "And mommy has telekinesis while daddy -"

"Your mom still scares me though," Yang commented. "I mean she uses a riding crop as a weapon and her cape can go between being a cape and a scarf."

"The former I guess I understand," Ivy said, shaking off what she knew Yang was thinking. "But that was a disgusting BDSM reference that I didn't need to hear."

"That's fair," Yang said with a killer smirk. "I guess it was too whippy!"

"I'm going to kill you!" Caitlin screamed, tackling Yang as the two of the faux wrestled. "You sick little bitch!"

"You wish!" Yang screamed back, messing up Caitlin's hair as they pretended to fight. "You wish that you could kill me!"

As both girls stopped and started laughing hysterically, Ivy sent Allen a sharp look to which he stuck out his tongue and crossed his arms. "Ivy you are so immature sometimes, aren't you?"

Ivy smirked. "Says the boy who just stuck out his tongue at his big sister."

"Says the girl who fell for the stupidest prank ever," Allen countered with a smug look. "You honestly thought that it would be a good idea to try and shift into a man."

"I wanted to push the limits of what my semblance is capable of!" Ivy exclaimed bitterly. "And I can shift into essentially any human or faunus form I want at this point -"

"Yeah," Allen conceded though he kept his smirk. "But when you shift into a faunus or a man you end up seriously depleting your aura and can't shift back until it replenishes almost all of the way. You were a man for an hour and half -"

"Which is your fault because you were the one who -" Ivy protested.

"It's not my fault that you took me up on that dare -" Allen smirked.

"Yes, it is!" Ivy snapped with her arms crossed. "It is totally your fault!"

He stared at her. "How is it my fault -"

"Well you dared her in the first place and you know how Ivy feels about dares," Caitlin said while punching Yang in the arm. "So it is your fault."

"Yeah!" Ivy agreed. "And even mommy agreed with that!"

Yang laughed. "Well, Glynda might agree with just about anything the two of you think and I have a feeling that James is just a little behind her in that."

"That's not true!" The three Ironwood-Goodwitch's exclaimed at the same time.

Looking at Yang, Ivy sighed. "I think you may be thinking of the Ciel-Schnee's."

"Oh, that's true…." Allen mused. "I mean, let's be serious and think about that for a moment. Cas has a decent amount of restrictions, sure, but that's because Emmeline and Emmett are overprotective. It's for good reason, considering who she is, but they'll back Cas up in pretty much anything."

"That's not fair," Ivy said. "Especially considering the situation with Cinder."

Yang looked at her scroll for a brief moment before looking at them in surprise. "You mean that criminal that tried to kill General Ciel?"

"Yes," Caitlin said as she tried to not think about the brutal woman. "She's also Emmett's estranged sister if that tells you anything."

"It sounds like the Schnee family is pretty fucked up," Yang said with a half smile which caused Caitlin, Ivy, and Allen to laugh. "But it does explain why my uncle Qrow keeps telling me and Ruby to never trust the Schnees."

"Not even Cas?" Caitlin asked with a raised eyebrow. "That's stupid, considering that Emmett is nothing like his sisters or his brother in law. And honestly, Winter and Weiss are great though Whitley…."

"Caitlin, Whitley isn't that bad." Ivy told her fiercely with her arms crossed. "He's actually quite compassionate when he's not around his father."

Caitlin looked at her skeptically before shaking her head. "You only think that because you fancy him."

Ivy sputtered in not only shock but embarrassment as her cheeks turned a bright pink. "I...I...I do not fancy him! That's...that's ridiculous!"

"Uh huh," Caitlin said looking to her twin. "Sure."

November 17th
Maximum Security Ward
City Of Atlas
United Kingdom Of Atlas
Downtown
4:58 PM

"So…" Cinder said as she leaned back against the cold metal bench in her cell while she braided her hair. "My niece only comes to see me until after my trial."

Cas took a small step back and kept in mind what her parents had warned about when it came to Cinder. "Well, I figured that you probably don't get very many visitors."

"Oh Casey...or can I call you Cas?" When the girl didn't object, Cinder went on. "Cas, see my only visitors are law enforcement and few members of my so called family that are trying to pick my brain. I'm very transparent you know. I pleaded guilty to the charges that the court brought against me because they were in fact true. But I know you're probably wondering why I wanted to kill your mother. Well here's the thing: everyone serves a purpose and your mother is not useful to me. She would never bend to my will even I held her at gunpoint so she had to go."

"What's wrong with you?" Cas asked through tears and Cinder smirked.

"Do you know anything about my mother?" She asked her.

Cas looked at her quizzically before shaking her head. "All I know is that she was a bitch and that my father never knew her because she died when he was very young."

"That's partially true…" Cinder said. "I'll spare you the details, but I have scars on my body to prove what that woman did to me. Thankfully, it's all concealable by make up."

Not responding as she processed this information, Cas decided to observe Cinder. She was sitting on the floor with the leather cuff that stopped her from using her aura still on her left wrist though she wasn't wearing any other handcuffs on account of the fact that there was a guard right outside the door and that Cas had a shotgun hidden under her coat which everyone had insisted she have. It made her uncomfortable, being armed, and all she could do was try to think of other things than the weapon pressing against her side. Cinder's hair was a little bit messy though it looked like it had been brushed recently and she had a hair tie on her uncuffed wrist. Her fingers were preoccupied with braiding her hair although she herself was not looking at her work but rather her niece. After a moment, Cinder sighed and undid her braid before looking at Cas seriously.

"Come here." She said.

Cas's eyebrows shot up and she crossed her arms tightly across her chest. "Why should I trust you not to hurt me?"

Cinder laughed. "I'm not exactly in a position where I could do so."

"Yes, you are." Cas pointed out, being suspicious like her parents had said to be. "You could be trying to catch me off guard so that you can strangle me."

"I promise that's not what I'm doing," Cinder told her with shocking sincerity. Patting the spot next to her on the ground, Cas reminded herself that she was armed and could defend herself if Cinder tried to do anything. "It's just that your hair reminds me of my own when I was your age."

"And…" Cas trailed off, waiting for an explanation. "Any reason for that to mean anything?"

Cinder rolled her eyes. "I just want to braid your hair, you can calm down."

"On one condition," Cas said as assertively as she could muster. "You answer all of my questions truthfully."

"Fine," Cinder agreed, unashamed of the things that she had done. "Go ahead and start asking."

"Why do you want to hurt my mom?" Cas said as she felt Cinder's surprisingly soft hands appraise her hair.

"Easy," She said with a small shrug. "Because I enjoy inflicting pain on other people."

"That doesn't sound like the whole reason," Cas commented, flinching as her 'aunt's' fingers grazed her neck by accident. "What's the real reason?"

"What if I told you I had no choice?" Cinder asked her, and Cas took that in. "What if I told you that I don't want to cause you harm but have no choice?"

"I wouldn't believe that," Cas told her as Cinder finally began to braid her hair. "You're evil."

"Oh, darling, I wouldn't say that I'm evil," Cinder paused as she tightened her first few strands. "I would say that I just have to make sacrifices for the greater good."

"I hate that term," Cas said. "And I hate it because the majority of the people who claim to work for the greater good are actually trying to convince themselves of that because it justifies their means to an end that is usually dangerous and ends in bloodshed."

"Those don't sound like your own words," Cinder mused and smiled a little when she felt Cas take in a sudden breath. "Who taught you that?"

"James Ironwood," Cas informed her, forcing herself not to turn around. "And I agree with it. I mean, look what you've become for the sake of power."

As she finished the braid and tied it off, Cinder turned her niece around to look at her. "You're right, I have changed for power, but I've changed for the better. I'm not weak anymore - I'm strong. Ashlynn Schnee is dead whether anyone in the family likes it or not. I'm not saying that she didn't have a place in time, but that place is gone. She isn't who I am. I am Cinder Fall, not some giddily eyed school girl with a gun up her sleeve who thinks that she can talk someone into change. That's thing you need to learn, Cas. You need to learn that this world isn't a fairy tale and that, most of all, people who want to gain power, people who crave it more than anything else, don't care how many people they have to step on to reach that goal. Listen to me Casey Emmeline Ciel-Schnee and listen to me well," Cinder placed her hands on her niece's shoulders and the girl flinched at her touch. "The next time you and I are together won't be in this cell. So you need to decide right now if you are on my side or your parents."

Cas found her gait to be more than unsteady as she got up. "I can't...I'm with my parents….at least they try to be decent people."

Cinder shook her head in dismay. "Then I hope you learn how to fight because I doubt that even with that gun under your coat that you would be able to pull the trigger no matter how important, how noble the reason for doing so might seem to you."