April 13th

Beacon CCTS Tower

Beacon Academy

City Of Vale

Vale

6:13 PM

"Oh, good, Ironwood," Emmeline Ciel sighed as she paced and sent Ozpin a sharp look before turning back to the younger man. "I'm sure you're confused as to why I conveyed Ozpin's message for you to be here today. Hopefully This will be able to…shed light on that particular subject."

A moment passed in silence and Cristal looked caught somewhere between exhausted and nervous.

"I'm giving you permission to speak freely, James," Emmeline told him, leaning against Ozpin's desk and crossing her legs at the ankle. "What are you thinking?"

"I don't really understand what's going on here," James admitted looking at his wife for a brief second and then shifting his gaze back to his superior. "Am I supposed to?"

"Ozpin," She turned around to face him and scowled at him until he responded. "Explain. You were the one who wanted him to join the group."

Qrow snorted. "So, it was Oz who wanted him here. Just like Oz wanted you here Em."

Emmeline narrowed her eyes while Emmett, Glynda, and Cristal both turned to Qrow in shock.

"Alright," Emmeline started. "I hate being called 'Em' for one –"

Qrow rolled his eyes as he cut across her. "I'm sure you let Schnee call you that and –"

"Qrow!" Cristal snapped, glaring sharply at the younger man. "I seriously doubt that any of us want to hear this at all, let alone need to hear your input on the rest of our –"

Ozpin gently took her hand and she grudgingly relented.

"Ha," Qrow mouthed at her while she found herself fighting the vastly childish urge to stick out her tongue.

With a sigh, Ozpin stood up and Cristal forced herself to relax. "James, I assume you are familiar with the Story Of The Seasons?"

"Yes…" He said slowly, unsure as to where he was going.

Ozpin went on. "If I told you that it were true, how would you react?"

James tensed. "Is it true?"

That was the next logical question, although he couldn't believe that he was asking it.

"Yes," Ozpin said, glancing to Glynda who, if he were not mistaken, tensed herself.

For a moment, James didn't respond. It wasn't until he remembered what Glynda had said back in November. Unless you believe in fairytales, James, you're going to think that I've lost it. Now, he was sure he knew exactly what she had meant.

"So…" He started slowly. "Does that mean the maidens are scattered across the world?"

Genuine surprise registered over Ozpin's countenance.

"Yes…" He confirmed with a raised eyebrow.

"That," Emmeline commented with a glance to Glynda, Emmett, and Cristal. "Is taking it surprisingly well."

"I'd have to agree with that, yes." Ozpin nodded though he decided to not dwell on it. "There are a few other things that we need to cover. First, there is this woman –"

"If you can even call her that," Qrow said, getting elbowed by Tai in reaction. "What? We all know it's true. Salem is –"

"Salem is the...it's complicated but in short she is not the creator of but she is the master of the creatures of grimm." Ozpin sent Qrow a subtle glare. The man simply pulled out his flask and took a swig with a look as equally acidic as the one Cristal was giving him.

"I...I have failed to defeat her in the past and, for that reason, I reincarnate every time I die," Ozpin instinctively wrapped an arm protectively around his wife, who was startled for a brief moment. "As in, my soul merges with that of another who is...likeminded."

"Which brings around yet another point," Emmeline began to pace again as she avoided eye contact with Ozpin. "This...group, circle, brotherhood or whatever the hell you want to call it –"

"Emmeline –" He started tiredly.

"Not the time, Ozpin," She said, annoyed that she wasn't able to finish. "We, for all intents and purposes, protect Remnant from the people who want to destroy it - e.g., Salem. The trouble is, we're short on how to do so and, as a result, need all the help we can get…all the people we know with absolute certainty we can trust."

April 21st

City Of Mantle

United Kingdom Of Atlas

South Sector

7:32 AM

It had taken him an ungodly amount of time to pull the address from Atlesian records, but he had managed it. Though he had seen or much less spoken to her in the last several years, Dean decided that now was the time to try and make amends. Lisa Carson was the only non-estranged member of his family who was still alive and, more than that, she was his elder sister. Still, the last few months had been contentious and, with that in mind, he had convinced a more than reluctant Spencer Ciel to come with him. It was a trap or, more accurately, a failsafe. If Lisa were to get too riled up, Spencer would be Dean's cannon fodder. He doubted that Spencer were aware of that, but Dean was smart enough to know he was more than a little cautious. After all, he was a Ciel and they had not ended the previous year in a good state. It was more like they had ended in hell.

Now, that was not to say Dean was vastly pitiful of them. He doubted they cared of the plight of people like him and he knew that it would never be their primary concern. That was his secondary for bringing Spencer here; he felt the need to show him things as they were for everyone else. The City of Mantle was as it always was although, like the rest of the kingdom, it was warmer than it had been the last time he was here. The temperature was well above freezing though the wind was still uncomfortable, and that meant that there were more people outside than the last time. It was the spring holidays, so the number of children running around was also greater than it had been the last time. Also like the last time, he couldn't help but feel a little nostalgic for when his life was like theirs: when it didn't matter who you were or where you came from or how wealthy you were.

No, gods no, don't think like that. Emmett Schnee may have been your best friend, your boyfriend, and a hell of a lot of other things to you - once - but those things don't apply to him anymore. He's just as messed up as you are, and his family is just as bad as yours.

The Schnees. Of the rest of them, Willow is erratic at best. Cristal is a vengeful, ambitious shrew – much like the missing girl…Ashlynn. Emmett's niece who will probably turn out just as well as the rest of the goddamn family in the end, and Jacques is nothing short of a jackass.

You could say the same thing about the family of the man walking beside you. Speaking of which, move the fuck on. Lisa won't want to hear about any of that bullshit because she'll just say that she told you so because she did. Even if that was years ago.

"Hey!" The familiar voice shouted at him as he started to move up to her house. "Who the hell…Dean?" Lisa lowered the gun that she had been pointing at him to also narrow her eyes upon the recognition of her baby brother. "Well, look who's got quite the nerve to show his face around here again."

Dean sent her a dark look. "Lisa, don't you dare –"

"Don't I dare what?" She laughed dryly. "Oh! And who's this…" She trailed off, her gun still tightly in her hands, and met Spencer's nervous gaze. "Oh my God. You're Spencer Ciel. What's a pretty boy like you doing down where us lowlifes live?"

Spencer grimaced and put up his hands. "To be perfectly honest, I don't really know why I'm here –"

"And let me just say –" Dean interjected.

"If you're going to say that you're sorry, I don't want to hear it." Attaching her gun to her side, she didn't relinquish the glare that she was giving him. "Really, Dean Carson, huntsman. Or should I call you Dean Schnee, huntsman?"

Dean matched the glare she was giving him as he clenched his fists. "I'm not involved with Emmett Schnee anymore. I broke that off over a year ago."

Lisa laughed mirthlessly. "I know that," She turned on Spencer. "Isn't Emmett Schnee dating your sister?"

Spencer sighed. "Okay, yes, but –"

"And you," She rounded on Dean once again. "Let me guess: you're here because you want sympathy?"

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Dean demanded, not quite knowing the woman he was speaking with. "And I'll have you know – repeating myself, albeit – that I was the one who broke it off with him."

His sister looked taken aback before coming over to him and pulling him into a hug. "Damn, that's what I wanted to hear! Congratulations"

"Mama?" A little girl came out of the house holding a blanket tightly against her. She ran over to Lisa who scooped the tiny girl up into her arms.

"Who's this –" Dean's eyes went wide.

It seemed as if everyone was getting past their pasts except for him.

"My daughter, Viola." Lisa said, ruffling the hair of the girl. "Vi, this is your uncle: Dean."

"De...ean?" Confusion was written all over her face.

"Where's her father?" Dean asked, treading the lines carefully.

Spencer took a step back, feeling as if something were about to become very wrong.

Lisa wiped away the tears that threatened to take over her eyes. "He was killed in a mining accident - a Dust mining accident. The one that spurred on the investigation of the SDC that you were looking into when you were in an accident."

"Failure for the safety protocol to be followed?" Dean was almost certain that this was answer and the look on his sister's face was all he needed to know. "I am going to kill Jacques for ignoring that."

"What is it to you?" Lisa demanded; anger perfectly blended amongst the storm of confusion that she was at war with. "Why do you give a fuck? You didn't even come to our wedding, you've never visited, and you just found out that you have a niece today. All you've ever done is call and for what? To bitch about your so-called pitiful life?"

With a sigh, Dean tried to explain. "It's injustice, Lisa. That's what I fight."

"Yeah, you're a straight arrow," She said as she pulled Viola closer before setting her down. "Vi, go back inside. Let mama handle this."

The little girl nodded and ran back inside like her mother had said to. When Lisa turned back to Dean, she gave him a look of slight pity before she slapped him hard across the face. Her wedding ring hit his cheek in the softest spot. "You asshole!" She shrieked.

"Lisa –" He began.

"Don't," She snapped. "I don't give a flying fuck. If I'm your way of getting revenge on the Schnee family then –"

"It's not like that!" He protested. "I'm a huntsman for –"

"Dean, for God's sake, stop acting like you're the fucking hero of some fairytale. Fairytales aren't real. Pull your head out of your ass!" Lisa shook her head as she crossed her arms and scowled. "If you think that some maidens are going to show up here and save us all or that there is some master of the grimm out there or a man with two souls or two brother gods that created the fucking world –"

"I know that you've never been particularly religiously inclined but I –"

"Dean, if this is some attempt to make me believe in the brother gods –"

"Mom and dad did." He stated plainly, but he wished he hadn't the minute he saw her face. This time, she didn't fight the tears that were streaming down her face.

"Dragging them into this - them who died because of the ignorance of a family that you thought were our friends…" Lisa sighed heavily. "What is wrong with you?"

"I'm sorry –" He began.

"Fairytales aren't real –"

"You think I don't know that?" He hissed. "I do and -"

"Good, because no one and I mean no one is going to save people like us," Lisa narrowed her eyes at him. "You may be a huntsman, Dean, but that –"

"Lisa," He said slowly. "Family always –"

Her voice was broken through the sobs. "Don't even talk to me about family. You don't understand. I'm barely breaking even these days. Did you know that I was laid off of my last job and that now I'm stuck with the last thing I can do? Why do you think we have so little right now? I've sold almost all of my things so that Vi and I can leave here."

He raised an eyebrow. "You're going to Atlas, aren't –"

"Hell no," She snapped, wiping her tears away. "I'm moving Vi and I to Mistral - hopefully things will be better for us there than they are here."

"Mistral?" Dean's eyes swelled with tears. "No, Lisa, please don't do that."

"Why not?" She demanded, annoyed that he even gave half a damn. "It's my life, not yours."

He sighed. "I could help you. If you want, you and Vi could move in with me and -"

"Fuck you, I hate you!" She snapped again. "I don't need nor want your charity! What are you really doing here - tell me the truth! I don't honestly believe this is some -"

"I came here to try and make amends -"

Another mirthless laugh escaped her. "Well too bad. You've made your choices, and I've made mine -"

"But -"

"But what? There's only one thing you can do and that's even the motherfucking score." Lisa's voice was deadly and hard with pent up anger. "And to do that, I'd need you to kill the person who killed my husband."

Spencer stared at her in abject horror and looked to Dean with a similar expression.

"You have got to be kidding me –" Spencer started.

"Jacques…" Dean shook his head but then, off her gaze, nodded. "Yeah, alright I'll do it."

"How much time do you need?" A faint smirk graced her face and an evil glint rose in her eyes. "I've got a week and I'd like to be out of the kingdom when that news breaks."

"I can make that timeline work," Dean agreed. He supposed that there was sacrilege in being a huntsman and a killer, but this was a noble kill.

And a revenge plot. His conscience countered. Is this taking it too far?

He chose not to care.

"Oh, and you?" Lisa shook her head as she looked back to Spencer. "Don't think I've forgotten about you. You are just as bad as they are, you all are. So, for that, you are going to pay. Sorry."

Spencer let out an anguished cry when she fired a shot and it hit him in the side with a second one hitting just below that. She stormed inside her shanty of a home before attention could be drawn towards the scene but Dean, in a moment of grace, lifted him onto a keyed mo-ped nearby and took off in a storm to the hospital just a few blocks down.

It was a damn miracle that Spencer survived.

April 29th

Schnee Family Manor

City Of Atlas

United Kingdom Of Atlas

6:18 PM

"Alright," He said calmly. "Look at this."

Emmett drew his sword and pointed towards the center of the floor to summon a boarbatusk. His hands were shaking, and he kept resisting the urge to check his scroll. He was worried for Spencer, who was still in the hospital, and he was conflicted about his feelings towards Emmeline. Something had shifted in their relationship after her father had been killed, and it had a lasting effect on their relationship even though the had only first started seeing each other the July of that year. He loved her and he knew she felt the same towards him, but he was scared. He was terrified that things were moving too fast.

"See, Winter, I know that this is probably the most difficult part of the Schnee family semblance and, yes, I know that I haven't taught you time dilation or similar glyphs, but I want you to try this," He mustered a weak smile. "I think you can do it."

The eleven-year-old drew one of her twin blades and mimicked his movements. "How do I start?"

"Well, first I want you to realize how powerful these summons can be." The look he gave her was all she needed to know, and she pulled her other blade into her left. "We've done plenty of hand to hand combat in the last two years, but you've never actually fought a grimm. Consider this your first attempt."

The boarbatusk charged at the young girl who leaped out of the way in fear at first before attempting to impale it from the back. Barely getting out of the way before it managed to scrape her, she ran in diversion before attempting to get it. She tried to block out her emotions as they alerted the summon in the way that they would a real grimm, but they seeped through nonetheless. Her aura continued to drain as she diverted her energy into fruitless attempts to block emotion and, in one last attempt to beat the summoned monster, she used a glyph to propel herself forward at high speeds to stab it right in the head but missed by just an inch. Collapsing on the ground with one last attempt at stabbing the damn thing, she screamed as it charged at her and dissipated just above her. Coming over to her, Emmett helped the young girl up before pulling her into a loose embrace.

"Really," He said as he released her. "Winter that was a good try."

"No, it wasn't!" She screamed, falling back against the wall. "At this rate, I'll never get into Atlas Academy, I'll never get to have the chance to be a huntress, and I'll end up as some sort of pretty receptionist!" Winter collapsed in on herself as she burst into tears. "Why am I such a failure?"

"You aren't," He assured her, sitting down next to her. "You're a kid and you've got almost six more years before your entrance exams. Look, honestly, when I was your age, I almost blew up part of the library when I tried to do a time dilation and, don't try this or get any ideas, I thought that adding fire Dust would be the best plan ever."

The girl looked up, half smiling. "Seriously?"

"Yeah, your dad was pissed." Emmett smiled as he remembered Jacques's reaction. "Obviously, you don't remember that because it was almost ten years ago, and you weren't even two yet."

"So, I'm not terrible at fighting?" She asked, her blue eyes wide and on the verge of tears again.

"Of course not, you just need practice." Emmett sighed. "Look, why don't you tell me what you think went wrong and we can try and fix it."

Winter scowled deeply before she responded. "My emotions. That's why my aura drained so fast. I was trying to hide them with it."

"Don't do that," He told her, knowing from experience how dangerous that could be. "It's not worth it and it's more likely than not just to hurt you."

"Then what am I supposed to do?" Concealing emotion was one of the things that her father demanded of them and it wasn't easy for her in the slightest.

"Let me tell you something. You remember what 'fucked up' means, right?" Emmett asked, smiling when her eyes glinted mischievously.

"Father was angry when he heard me mutter it at one point," Winter admitted. "But, yes, I remember what 'fucked up' means. It means terrible and convoluted."

"Exactly, pipsqueak, and I'm proud of you for not being intimidated by him." Though he was restraining himself from laughing, he couldn't help but be amused by her. "Just by chance, does Willa know about that story?"

"She blamed you immediately," She said, smiling at the laugh she got in response. "Mother says that you are both a blessing and a curse. Father, on the other hand, says that your parents should have sent you to reform school."

Emmett laughed. "Cristal used to say the same thing. Sometimes, I'm just too much to handle and that goes for anyone." Emmett smirked while he pulled his niece into a hug. "I think he's just jealous or that he genuinely hates people who don't bow down to him."

Winter giggled. "Don't get caught saying that. I don't want to lose the ability to train with you."

"I don't want that either," Emmett agreed. "Look, I'm going to tell you the simple truth about all of us: emotional control is not exactly something that people in the Schnee family have and, I hate to say this, that applies to your father too."

"How does it apply to you?" She asked; as far as she was concerned, he was good at everything.

Emmett hesitated. Almost a million different stories began to pass through his head but the first few he recalled he couldn't explain to anyone, let alone his niece. Opting for an easier story to explain, he sighed.

"Alright," Emmett started slowly. "When I was studying at Atlas, I struggled in combat and during missions because my emotions were getting the best of me or drawing grimm."

A crash was heard down the corridor and shouting followed. At first, it was unintelligible but then it was clear.

"What in the -"

"Shut up, Schnee." The voice sounded suspiciously like Dean and, when Emmett ran out into the corridor, it turned out that those suspicions were not unfounded.

Grabbing his former partner's wrists, Emmett joined the fray. "Dean, what are you –" He shouted.

"For once I'm actually glad to see you, Emmett." Jacques wheezed as he tried to get out the way of Dean's glowing bow staff.

"Get your hands off of me, Emmett." Dean violently screamed, trying not to give into the urge to hurt him as well. "Can't you see –"

"What happened to you?" Emmett demanded, not understanding what was going on. "Why -"

"He's the reason my sister and her daughter are broke!" Dean snapped. "He killed my brother in law!"

Emmett stared at him in shock. "Since when do you -"

"Since apparently a few years ago because I have a three-year-old niece!" Dean growled in anger as Emmett snatched his bow staff out of his hands. "Give that back!"

"Not unless I know you aren't going to go on some sort of killing spree!" Emmett held the bow staff above his head and out of Dean's reach despite the fact that the red head was several inches taller than him. "Well?"

Dean clenched his fists. "I have every reason to kill him and -"

"So what?" Emmett snapped, dropping the bow staff and forcing his former partner, friend, and lover to look at him. "Even if you do, that doesn't make it right! What you're doing is vengeance and if you think it's justice then you're wrong!"

"This is about justice!" Dean roared, his anger taking control.

"Vengeance isn't justice!" Emmett shook his head and shoved him out of the way, prompting the man to run out.

A long moment passed in silence as Jacques got off the ground.

"Emmett -" He began slowly, regaining his steady breath.

"Jacques, call the police," Emmett sighed. "Someone needs to handle this situation before it gets any worse than it already has."

May 19th

2nd Floor

Bushwood Apartment Complex

City Of Vale

Vale

4:47 AM

"Neh, neh!" Caitlin Ironwood-Goodwitch kept saying through her hyperventilation. The little girl was still figuring out how to speak, and her favorite thing to say was the term she had learned first. No.

"Caity, it's fine, shh...it's fine. I'm right here. Mommy's got you." Continuing to move about the apartment while she got her eldest to calm down, Glynda tried not to let her nerves overcome her. She knew even without being able to get confirmation that her little girl had had a nightmare, something that seemed to run in the family.

It certainly didn't help that things were getting so complicated, though, with Ozpin. With the changing tides. It wasn't easy in the slightest. The things that she and James were both looking into for Ozpin were not particularly pleasant although they were clear indications that Salem was slowly moving her pawns into place for reasons that no one in the group was quite sure of. Some of the worst meetings were the ones where Qrow had a report on a new species of grimm. Emmeline would add it into the list of known grimm in the Atlesian records and Emmett usually would curse, especially if it had an ability that aided in its abilities to kill. The Mountain Glenn site was finally beginning to slow down into a steady amount of grimm in the area, but they all knew that, with the way things had turned out, the population was always going to be higher than average.

The other concerning bit of information that had been discovered recently was that Emmett was almost certain, based on what he had encountered, that he, the group, and the rest of his family knew what had happened to Ashlynn Schnee. If what they were suggesting was true, then the Schnee had been taken by Salem and that was why she was so violent towards Emmett every time he had encountered her. The other thing that didn't help was Raven's long disappearances – the most recent having been weeks prior – let alone her obsession with the Spring Maiden. Ozpin chose to believe that she had been simply curious, and that stress had caused her to need time away from it all. The rest of them saw it differently, but Ozpin continued to brush off the concerns every time anyone raised them. Or at least anyone who wasn't Cristal. She seemed to be just hot-headed enough to level him out.

Finally, though it was five in the morning and the sun was only just barely peeking past the horizon, Caitlin fell back asleep and Glynda was able to put the little girl back down with her sister. Unable to bring herself to go back to sleep, Glynda decided to open the window just a little to let the cool air vent through the apartment. The sky looked almost blood stained and the shattered moon could still be seen through the skyscrapers and the cars that were just starting to get out on the road. It was slightly eerie, but at the same time it seemed peaceful. The color of the sky was fitting, she decided, given how things were changing in Remnant and she smirked a little as she paid attention to the moon and thought about what Ozpin had said about making more mistakes than anyone else who had ever lived on Remnant.

Makes you wonder if he had anything to do with the condition the moon is. Natural satellites don't just appear shattered naturally, especially not so much that it can be seen from the planet's surface.

Adjusting her glasses and running her fingers through her pale, tangled blonde waves, Glynda sighed as she felt the slightly cool metal of James's cybernetic hand wrap around her along with his natural one. Turning around to face him, she wrapped her arms around him and brought him closer while leaning into him as much as she could. She wanted nothing more than to just stay in this moment. She was reasonably relaxed, and she wasn't feeling terribly nervous about anything that didn't normally bother her. It was so easy to get distracted by him, and that applied to both of them. They had long since agreed that they were each other's best distractions and it felt good knowing that they were there for each other.

"Was it another nightmare or the girls that woke you up this time?" James kept his voice soft, knowing that if it was the former that she wouldn't want to talk about it.

"Kind of both," She admitted quietly, trying to forget the dream she had had of losing him and the girls though she couldn't. "The nightmare woke me up first, but the girls were both needing something not too long after that. Ivy wanted to be fed and, if I had to bet, Caitlin had a nightmare herself and needed attention. She kept hyperventilating and saying no until I finally got her to calm down. Ivy, on the other hand, was out almost as soon as she finished nursing."

James sighed. "I know you don't want to -"

"Actually, for once we should." Glynda wrapped herself around him even more tightly than she already was. "James -"

"Glynda, if it's going to upset you, we don't have to." He lightly kissed her forehead before holding her as close as possible.

"I hate them, I really do but I feel like since all of them involve you and sometimes the girls that we should." She sighed again before she fidgeted with her glasses and started. When she did, her voice was unusually quiet and unsteady. "It was one of the ones where the girls were older - you already know how they look in those dreams - and it was them on a hunting trip. Ivy lost an arm fighting a grimm and she and Caity both got killed just as we got there and tried to stop it. I almost got rid of the thing before it took you."

"Glynda…" Trying to comfort her while she tried to steady her breathing, he wished that he could stop these things from hurting her. "That's not going to happen, I promise. The girls are fine now and they're still going to be fine seventeen years from now when they start at one of the academies. They'll be a little older because of their late birthdays, but that will be an advantage for them. As for me, I'm not going to let anything hurt us. I'm not going to ever stop loving you, Glynda, I promise. You mean everything to me."

"But -" She protested.

"Look, Glyns, everything is fine. We've got years before the girls start training, assuming the want to which I can imagine they will, and both of us are just fine. I promise." Squeezing her gently, relief set in once he realized that she was steadying. "I'm right here Glyns, and I'm not going to leave you. I love you."

"I love you too," Glynda kissed him gently before resting her head on his shoulder. "I love you so much."

James pulled her back in before the two of them went back to sleep. "Me too, honey, me too."

May 22nd

Location: Unknown

5:56 PM

Some powerful sorceress I am, Cinder thought bitterly as she glared at her reflection not for the first time. This is exactly who I am and yet I can't fully be her? It's pathetic.

Weeks of practicing had been helping but she was still angered by the fact that she hadn't fully managed to fracture herself enough to get rid of Ashlynn Schnee. Ashlynn cared too much about other people, specifically she cared too much about her family. It was complete and utter bullshit and, on top of that, it was pathetic. She felt weak, the opposite of how she wanted to feel. It set her back from her goals of proving to Salem that she was powerful and more than that it seemed almost to discredit her claims to be a young woman who wants power. That fact pissed her off more than she cared to admit and as she continued to scowl at the girl who stared back at her from within the mirror, Salem clicked her tongue in disapproval.

"This..." Salem shook her head. "Whatever you call it is not doing you any good."

"I know," Cinder hung her head low in apology and shame. "I'm -"

"You aren't trying hard enough, that's what you're doing," Salem snapped. "It has been weeks since we started this - over a month has passed and you still aren't fully Cinder Fall. I thought you were the girl who craved power over everything else?"

Cinder turned around to face Salem. "I am!"

"Then prove it!" Salem swung her hand across the young woman's face before sending a seer into the mirror. "Make the final cut. Push her out of you because she is not you anymore!"

"She isn't me!" Cinder growled. "That bitch died on the motorway over -"

Salem glared as she cut her off. "If that was the case you wouldn't see these people as your family in any regard! Today had better be the day you succeed, because I am not in the mood to deal with you being a disappointment."

Cinder flinched but her gaze did not waver while the images flashed before her.

"What are you feeling, what are you thinking?" Salem demanded though she made an attempt to mask the fact that it was an order and not a request

"I want to know why anyone feels sorry for them," Cinder admitted truthfully. "They're both stuck up and famous beyond belief and they think that they deserve sympathy? It's pathetic."

A very rare, genuine smile that almost seemed unnatural crossed Salem's face. "Who are they?"

Generalized bitterness came through in her response. "Emmeline Cecilia Ciel and Emmett Arthur Schnee."

Salem paused before she smirked. "Are they family?"

"Gods no!" Cinder exclaimed in anger at the suggestion now. "Of course not!"

The unnatural smile returned to Salem's face for a second time. "Perfect." Salem waved her hand across the mirror and the image changed to what almost looked like the top of the clock tower.

"What is that?" Cinder asked, recognizing Glynda, James, Emmett, Cristal and Emmeline Ciel. "Where is that?"

"Beacon Tower," Salem said with a bitter edge. "And the one you haven't seen before is Ozpin. One of our primary enemies. I assume you recognize the others?"

"The blonde is Glynda Goodwitch," Cinder said, explaining it quickly. "The dark-haired man with the neurotransmitter in Atlas military uniform is James Ironwood. Cristal Schnee is the woman with glasses next to Ozpin. Obviously the one with the white hair is Emmett Schnee and, naturally, the dark-haired woman is Emmeline Ciel."

"This other man is...new, isn't he?" Salem inquired, her gaze following the group.

Cinder nodded. "Yes, wasn't it -"

"Thank you Cinder, we will be discussing this matter more later." Salem waved her hand at the young woman in dismissal and Cinder did what she was told.

Author's Note: Thank you to everyone who has gi me support through my creative process: it mea so much! And shoutout to merendinoemilano, who has been a great friend and co-worker when I've needed help with my ideas. Love you all!