Pain.

Every single part of her felt as if she was on fire yet she couldn't move. Dark straps holding her to the table as she screamed. Her back arching as liquid lightning was plunged into her veins. Cold hands running over her arms, through her hair, and under the white lab scrubs.

Stop it!

Then it was gone, and she was cold again as she hugged her knees to her chest. White walls decorated with one-way mirrors so she could be observed like a rat in a cage. Hiding her face, she whimpered in pain her short blonde hair barely brushing her neck. They kept it short to show the identification number on her neck. Nails digging into her arms she flinched as the door opened. Without even looking she could feel those soulless eyes locked onto her form.

Stop it!

Hearing him order another round of testing she bit her lip to hold back a protest. Fighting back only made it worse. Glancing upward she couldn't look away as white-gloved hands reached for her.

It hurt. Those hands always hurt.

She didn't want this.

Why couldn't she breathe?

Make it stop! She needed…

Stop!

Then it was just red. Crimson dripping from the walls, coloring her hair as she covered her head. The dark scent of copper and iron filling her nose. It was red but the pain was gone.

Shaking and shivering she clung to the blankets under her while her eyes opened slowly. Whimpering softly, she felt lost and confused. She wasn't home. Her Queen's magic wasn't wrapped around her like a blanket. Feeling hollow she pushed herself up and caught sight of the cuff around her wrist at the same time. It was new and familiar.

No!

It wasn't fair! She was supposed to be free and safe; they were supposed to protect her. Tyrian was supposed to keep her safe. She didn't want to feel those cold hands again, she didn't want to be locked in a room and turned into a lab rat; she wanted…. she needed…

Why couldn't she breathe?

(Ruby)

So apparently breaking into the infirmary was not her best idea but, in her defense, she was tired of being lied to. However, her current situation was somehow worse given that if she moved even a little she would be caught. Listening to her dad's talk to her aunt and Glynda she felt mostly confused and a bit horrified. Professor Port was dead, and Coco was missing. Was it horrible of her that she cared more about her missing friend than her dead professor? Biting her lip, she listened with half attention as Raven explained to the others that the man responsible had gotten away.

Narrowing her eyes Ruby considered coming out of her hiding spot and demanding answers. It was something she would have done if not for the arm that wrapped around her waist and pulled her farther under the table. Sending Jay an annoyed glance she blinked in confusion when he pressed a finger to his lips. Brows furrowing in confusion she followed his finger as he pointed to the left. That was when she saw headmaster Ozpin's cane come into view.

"It seems that Salem is making her move," he stated. Frowning at the name Ruby felt Jay's arms tighten around her waist. When she glanced up at the boy, he shook his head slightly. At least she was finally getting answers although not in the way she'd wanted.

"The dead Huntsmen between here and Mistral is her doing then," Raven guessed. Leaning back against the table she watched as Glynda's green eyes narrowed.

What dead huntsmen? Something like that should have made the news by now but it hadn't, did that mean someone was covering it up. she could hear Niko's voice saying that it was Ozpin covering up the deaths and while she wished she didn't see how that could be true; he and the other headmasters were the only ones with enough power to do this. Still, if people were dying then why weren't they doing anything to stop it or maybe they were; after all, her dads had been on a mission for a while now. Perhaps Ozpin sent them to hunt down the killer.

"Of that, I have no doubt."

The simple way he said it as if he was above all their mortal issues, caused Raven to tense. It was just another thing that showed he felt as if he was above them; another reason for her to hate him. Crossing her arms, she noticed Glynda watching her and sent the woman a teasing smirk.

"Without Amber to protect the relic we're vulnerable," Tai said causing Raven to chuckle. The bitter sound setting Qrow on edge. It was his fault that Amber had gotten hurt. Seeing his guilt-ridden expression Raven growled before straightening.

"The tribe is spread thin trying to keep the grimm from tearing the smaller villages apart," she stated. The words causing Ozpin to nod as Tai quietly checked on Qrow.

At least they were doing something about the murders. Leaning back against Jay slightly, Ruby finally started to relax just a little bit. Part of her thought spying was wrong, but she'd gotten more answers in the last few moments than she had in months. It was annoying to be treated like a child when she was just as affected by future conflict as them.

"We could put the general's army to work," Glynda suggested but was surprised to see Raven sneer. Well not really surprised since the woman always seemed to disapprove of something.

"No, we can't trust James," Raven said her eyes never leaving Glynda's. She knew the woman had a soft spot for the man.

"You're not suggesting we view him as a traitor," Tai asked his eyes turning to Ozpin. James had been a member of this council since it's founding; there was no way that he would betray them. He couldn't betray them; could he?

Wait, were they talking about general Ironwood? The man was in control of the biggest military in Remnant and apparently, he couldn't be trusted. Why not? He couldn't be working with this Salem woman, could he? And if he was then why would he come here to the heart of supposed enemy territory? She felt so confused. It the low growl from Jay that made her realize she'd been inching closer to the edge of their hiding place. Stilling, she sent him an apologetic glance.

"Raven is right, plus there's a bigger issue," Ozpin stated catching their attention. None of them noticed his eyes dart to the table behind Raven before he sighed and said, "we need to start thinking about choosing a new Maiden to replace Amber."

"A new sacrifice you mean," Raven hissed her anger showing clearly in her eyes. Catching the glance that Qrow sent in her direction she bristled. Ruby realized in less than a second that her aunt sounded furious. It was Jay's turn to shift nervously. She had no idea what they were talking about with the Maidens, but she had a feeling that he did. It was the fear that grew in his eyes that told her she was right.

"Raven y-"

"No that woman is dying because you put her in danger just like Summer," Raven snapped her furious eyes meeting Ozpin's as her hand tightened on the hilt of her sword.

Stilling completely at the mention of her mother Ruby was barely able to keep still. Her mother was a part of Ozpin's circle and apparently that had gotten her killed. No, not just that, but Raven blamed Ozpin for her mother's death. Biting her lip and closing her eyes the girl leaned back against Jay as she hugged herself.

They were all silent the mention of the woman causing all but Ozpin and Raven to look down. The man could understand why she was angry; even he knew that Summer was the first person other than Qrow that Raven trusted and he'd gotten her killed. He could accept Raven's anger and hate because on the inside all she felt was pain. A pain that he was all too familiar with. He didn't blame her for hating him because in truth he hated himself.

"I'll become the Fall Maiden if it comes to that," Glynda stated the determination in her voice snapping Ozpin out of his head. For a moment all he felt was fear and horror at the idea of her becoming a target for Salem.

"NO!"

It was a culmination of thousands of his past lives that kept him from shaking her until she fainted. His roar still shocked her however and it was evident in the way she flinched away from him her eyes widening in surprise. He was boiling in anger at even the thought of her becoming a Maiden. That made it hard for him to focus on anything else. Salem would kill her without even hesitating. He couldn't lose her; ever. Taking a deep breath, he tried to calm himself down before he did something foolish.

Jay didn't know what was happening but feeling the girl flinch against him he realized that this was the first time that Ruby had heard Ozpin raise his voice. Ever since Raven took him in he'd been told to never trust Ozpin because the man was a liar. Yet Raven worked with Ozpin and he didn't understand why she would do that if she didn't trust him.

"Oz," she whispered confusion in her voice. Raven frowned as her eyes were narrowed in thought. Looking between the two she felt suspicion bloom in her chest. Just why was Glynda so important to Ozpin?

"No," he repeated softly. He couldn't get angry and snap at his people just because of something they had no idea about. He had to be calm and controlled. Frowning he said, "there's still a chance that Raven's people can help Amber. I'm meeting with them later to go over options."

"And if they can't," Qrow asked shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Then I will choose a new Maiden," Ozpin stated simply. There were already several options for strong Maidens, and he could choose from the fourth years if he had to.

"I volunteer," Glynda repeated as she stepped forward. Her green eyes were filled with fire and for a moment all he could see was another blonde woman in her place. She looked exactly like her mother did and it killed him.

"No," he said coldly. The look of annoyance and fury she sent him was endearing. When she went to argue with him, he snapped, "I will die before allowing you to become the Fall Maiden!"

He wasn't surprised to find that it was true. They would have to put his body in the ground before he allowed Glynda to step into that machine and sacrifice her life. Raven was right that becoming a Maiden was a sacrifice, but she truly didn't know just how guilty he felt about the whole system that he'd created. Glynda stared at him for a long moment her eyes filled with confusion before she frowned her green eyes taking on a light that promised retribution.

"Of course, his pet can't become a Maiden," Raven mumbled under her breath. When Qrow shot her a glance she rolled her eyes before saying, "Besides if you've taken up your sword again does that mean your fighting back this time?"

"It does."

He'd told her that he would only use a sword when he planned on killing someone. Ruby knew in that instant that the war Niko had told her about would happen soon and that Beacon would be ground zero. Eyes narrowing, she shoved her emotions aside in favor of using the skills that she'd learned from thieves and criminals. If she was going to attack Beacon, she would strike during a time when they were most vulnerable but also a time when the world would be watching. The Vytal festival was the perfect time to strike and unless the enemy had infiltrated the school at the beginning of the year or even before then; they were visiting students. It was only logical to send spies among the competitors but that meant that Mercury's team could be the enemy. Mercury could be the enemy. However, with the lack of trust in Ironwood Penny's team was also under suspicion.

"The Vytal Festival will be the tipping point," Qrow stated unknowingly confirming his daughter's thoughts. Shrugging when he noticed their glances he said, "from a logical standpoint it's the perfect time to attack."

"What about the kids," Tai asked causing Qrow to look away quickly; he hated it when Tai used the puppy eyes, although he did shift in worry when Tai said, "If Salem launches an attack there could be casualties."

"There will be casualties," Ozpin agreed. In every war, people died that was a truth he'd accepted a long time ago. Tapping his cane on the floor he said, "That's why Ruby's team is being sent to Mt. Glenn tomorrow. Roman is a vital pawn for both sides but he's also at risk. We need to foil their plan and get him somewhere safe."

"He's a thief," Qrow pointed out. Sending his lover, a glance Tai was happy when Qrow amended by saying, "But he's not stupid if he's asking to be pulled out then he's in danger."

"Hence why Raven is running point on the mission; along with taking two tribe members as support." Ozpin pointed out watching Raven closely. When she scoffed but didn't argue he felt his lips twitch upward. Ruby sighed the sound just quiet enough not to be noticed. So, Roman was on their side. That was good to know although she wouldn't hold back when they saw each other again.

"They'll notice when he goes missing," Qrow pointed out.

"Not if they think he's dead," Raven said amusement in her voice.

"What about the girl, I doubt she'll stay if she believes him dead," Qrow said bringing up what he thought was a glaring flaw in their plan.

"That's what I'm counting on," Ozpin said resisting the urge to smirk. Neo was already on their side although she didn't know the extent of their plan. She would soon, however, and he couldn't wait to see Cinder's face when she lost two pawns before she even attacked. Pushing down his instinctive urge to toy with his enemies he smiled pleasantly asking, "Can I have the room?"

Watching them leave without questioning him he laid his cane on the table that currently hid his little student. It had only been a matter of time until Ruby got tired of being kept in the dark and he wasn't shocked that she'd taken matters into her own hands. Archon wasn't either if the chuckles echoing in his head were any indication. Yes, Ruby was truly just like her ancestors.

"You can come out now," he said amusement layering his voice.

Stiffening Ruby wasn't even surprised that he'd known she was here. This was just another of his tests then.

"So, he did know we were here," Jay whispered in her ear. Nodding Ruby tapped his arm silently asking him to release her. Crawling from under the table the two teenagers didn't show the slightest amount of guilt at Ozpin's exasperated expression.

"I suppose you have questions," Ozpin stated simply. He could see the wariness in her eyes and knew that if he chose to lie to her that he would lose her. Putting aside the fact he needed her to help him defeat Salem, she was important to him.

"Will you answer them," she asked caution in her voice. Yet he could hear the hope in her voice too.

"Not yet," he said softly. He needed time to think about just how much he was going to reveal to her. Seeing the glare being sent at him by her protector he mentally praised Raven for finding such a loyal little faunus. Giving Ruby a comforting smile he said, "First I need you to do something for me. Wait until after your mission."

"W-"

"I need you to trust me blindly just a little bit longer," he said cutting her off. When she still hesitated, he decided to take a chance on trusting her by saying, "I swear I will tell you everything after your mission."

The wary nod he got in return while small was more than he deserved. He'd lost Malic when Rose died; he wouldn't lose Ruby too.

(Weiss)

Blue or red.

Her current issue was deciding what to wear on her mission tomorrow. She wanted to do something different with her outfit but had no idea what to do. Her symbol had always been her family emblem so standing here looking at the jacket in her hands she wondered if changing her emblem could be a way to separate herself from her father. Logically she knew he was going to be dead before the end of the year but that didn't mean his influence would fade. She would always be under his shadow.

Dropping the jacket back onto the bed she picked up the stack of files Blake had given her and slipped them into her bag. She'd let Ruby or Blake pick out her outfit since she had no idea what to wear. While not technically easy it was less stressful to think about her goal for the future than deal with clothing choices. It would be hard to change the world which was why she would start with Atlas. Politics and tradition were at the root of Atlassian culture; even now the council was more symbolic than it was practical. The old families ruled the kingdom and luckily, she was almost royalty. All she had to do was take over the council along with the military. It wouldn't be easy, but she wouldn't give up. Taking one last look around the room she slipped her bag onto her shoulder before vanishing out the door.

She was a member of the upper class of Atlas. An aristocrat of the highest order except her family was the newest. Her grandfather had built the company from the ground up after being a huntsman. They were literally new blood. Hence why changing Atlas would be so difficult unless she wanted to break the very foundations of the city to pieces. Which she was considering.

Winter and Whitley would be able to help too. With her sister backing her gaining military support should be easy while Whitley could help by being moral support. The biggest issue would be the faunus and the White Fang. There was so much bad blood between the SDC and the White Fang that she doubted the faunus would listen to anything she had to say. Well, that and something Blake had mentioned was weighing on her mind.

Her teammate had said faunus were being branded. Would her father truly sink that far? It was inhumane, horrible, and she had no doubt he would do it; especially if he believed he could get away with it. Touching the hilt of her rapier as she entered the airship Weiss wondered just how much he'd gotten away with over the years. Making amends wouldn't be easy. Fixing mistakes was never easy.

She wanted peace between the White Fang and the SDC. As if having peace would absolve the sins her family had committed. She wasn't a fool. The faunus would never trust her and she'd be lucky if the White Fang didn't simply kill her instead of hearing her out. Yet she wanted to try. She had to try even if she failed because it was her turn. Changing the relationship between Atlas and the faunus would be her goal. A goal that would take a lifetime.

When the airship landed, she stepped off slowly her eyes going to the small café Blake had told her was a White Fang hideout. Although she was sure that her teammate was trying to warn her away from the place not tell her to go there. Blake meant well but Blake had left the White Fang. Her teammate wouldn't be able to set up any meetings for her but if she managed to find a faunus who was still in the White Fang then maybe they could. It was reckless and foolish, but this was her first step toward changing things.

Entering the café slowly she felt her heart drop when she saw no one there. The sudden weight of failure pressed down on her before she pushed it away. Even if things didn't go the way she wanted them to she could still use the day productively. Ordering a cup of coffee and a small piece of cake she sat down at a corner table. Pulling out the files along with a list of news networks; she wondered if ruining her father's reputation before he died would make her feel any better.

Sipping her coffee, she sighed and opened the first file. It was on the dust mines and the current state of the workers. Part of her wondered how Blake had gotten the files but then again finding spies in the company wasn't a novel experience.

Sitting at the little café beside the docking bay and going through the files she felt sick. There was so much she hadn't known about her family; so much that she hadn't wanted to know. Yet here were all their sins on paper. Sins that would be hers in only a few months. There was so much she hadn't known that looking at it now she should have. Her family was rotten. The legacy left by her grandfather was tainted by her father; it was up to her to fix this. She had to, so why did she feel like she was going to fail.

She wasn't ready to become the CEO or to rule Atlas. No, she didn't want to. She wanted to stay in Vale; at Beacon. Being a huntress was the only goal she had that was truly hers. By doing this she was going to be leaving behind her friends. This wasn't what she wanted but it was what she had to do. What did it matter what she wanted when she could help people by doing her duty? It wasn't important that doing this would hurt. It didn't matter that she would be alone in a place where she would have to fight just to breathe. Whitley would be happy. The faunus would be happy. What she wanted wasn't important. So, why did it hurt?

Right well, now she couldn't even think straight. Sighing she packed the files into her bag before standing. Leaving a generous tip, she stalked from the café slowly. Maybe it would have been better if she'd never come to Vale. After all, it was hard to miss happiness if you'd never experienced it. Leaving would be easy if she could stop caring. Her heart wouldn't feel like it was breaking it she hadn't met her team.

Stilling Weiss glanced downward as the sound of her heels clicking against the ground changed. Narrowing her eyes, the heiress felt the ground beneath her feet sink as a gloved hand clamped around her ankle.

(Ozpin)

Exiting the private elevator to the sound of muffled curses, Ozpin raised an eyebrow as Aiden tossed another blood needle at the wall. The brown-haired man was pacing as he snapped and scowled at anyone who dared to get in his way. Of course, the fact he occasionally tossed a needle made of his own blood at the wall couldn't be ignored. The man was deeply annoyed by whatever issue he'd found with Amber's condition leading him to show his aggression in the only way he knew how.

"He apparently found out that the incident caused her aura to split," Cora explained as she looked over the comatose woman's blood work. Hearing Ozpin hum in understand she handed him the chart saying, "also whatever her attacker used to steal her aura is currently poisoning her."

Ozpin was willing to bet that it had been Salem who had given Cinder the means to steal Amber's abilities. Meaning it was most likely grimm related. There was nothing they could do about her aura until they captured Cinder so the poison was the only lead they had but even if Amber did awaken she might be worse mentally than she was at the moment.

"Can anything be done about the poison," he asked ignoring Aiden as the man growled at him.

"Vera is trying to neutralize it; she hasn't had any luck" Cora stated. Following her gaze to the black-haired woman he frowned. The faunus was gently running her hand over Amber's face trying to isolate the poison.

"Of course not, if this had been brought to us the day after or even a couple of weeks then it would have been easy to isolate the poison and extract it but since you waited it'll be almost impossible," Aiden snapped before he returned to his pacing.

Poisons were his thing. Someone had stolen his thing. Well, he knew that he didn't have exclusive access to poisons, but this was a travesty. Not only was it an unknown toxin but it wasn't killing her but locking her aura deep under her skin leaving her unable to regenerate and with a little under half of her aura already gone it was a wonder that the woman was still alive. It led him to think that her aura had prioritized keeping her heart beating rather than fighting the toxin. Even if they managed to purge the poison, he doubted she would wake up. Well unless something offset the lost aura or replaced it. Nothing he knew about could do that.

Well, that wasn't completely true. Back in the assassin's ring of Mantle, there were children whose aura would turn against their own bodies. There was a reason that no one below the age of eight was supposed to unlock their aura; the strain would cause them to burn out. Usually, it caused them to be unable to project their aura until their bodies grew accustomed to it; but in rare cases, the body would treat the aura like a disease and try to eradicate it. The only solution was to either bind the aura so that it couldn't be used or to transfer the aura to something else. If he could reverse that transfer causing aura to supplement what Amber had lost, then she might wake up; although it would only be temporary unless they managed to regain the aura that was taken from her. The only issue was that he had no idea how to transfer enough aura to offset the balance. Of course, without the toxin being purged first there was no way they could do anything to help the woman.

"Do you have a sample of the toxin the attacker used," Aiden asked as he finally stopped pacing. Turning to face Ozpin he hated to admit that he had no idea what kind of poison was used. Crossing his arms, he said, "it's currently an unknown. I've never come across anything like it before."

"It almost feels like a grimm," Vera added as she took a moment to catch her breath. Flexing her fingers, she glared at the scars across Ambers's face in frustration.

Well, it was Salem. It was obvious that she'd used a grimm to steal Amber's powers. He could feel something inside growling for Salem's head. The darkness inside him was growing stronger the closer his confrontation with Salem came. He knew that before this era was over there would be another war and there was a dark part of him that wanted for it to happen sooner rather than later.

"I don't," he admitted causing Aiden to roll his eyes. Things could never be simple, could they? Running a hand through his hair the man sighed before his eyes lit up.

(Blake)

There were two things she loved more than anything in the world cinnamon scented candles and books, so when those things started to be replaced by Ruby's smile and Sun's laugh, she got worried. Sun she could understand since he was the source of her current crush, but Ruby was different. Not only was she anxious when her little leader was out of sight for too long; like right now, but she also got annoyed when Percy got to close to the girl. It was strange and weird; because those were two different things, and she had no idea what to do about it, hence why she'd called Adam for an emergency meeting. She hadn't expected him to start laughing at her.

Well to his credit he didn't laugh; he snickered before hiding the action behind the menu of the faunus only restaurant he'd picked out. He was still mocking her and even now halfway through the pasta she'd ordered she felt like a stretched-out rubber band. As if all her fur wanted to bristle but was being restrained by the knowledge that doing so would be a sign of discomfort. She had no idea why she was feeling this way, but his mockery wasn't helping.

On Adam's part, he was enjoying the discomfort brought on by Blake's claim without hesitation. It wasn't every day that the stoic cat faunus was so distraught by something; especially something that was pure instinct. To be fair she had no idea what was going on but that didn't change the fact that he could site here and sip his tea while drowning in the sounds of her misery. He was having fun which was why he'd set his scroll to silent so they wouldn't be disturbed.

He hadn't claimed anyone other than Blake; mainly because she'd been his partner, the only person he trusted, and honestly not an idiot. Viper was close but the man was distant with everyone who wasn't a pawn in his plans or Nix, but that didn't count. Sienna was his leader, yet he didn't trust her as far as he could throw her. His parents were dead so, yeah, Blake was all he had in this world. It was finally time to explain faunus claims to the girl too since it had gotten this far but he would have rather waited so that her parents could get the unpleasant job.

"So, what do you feel when Ruby's away from you," he asked deciding to start the conversation lightly. When she puffed up like an angry cat, he resisted the urge to laugh; to tell the truth, he had no idea how to start this conversation. Watching her shift nervously and glare at the table he wondered how long it would take her to speak. When she simply huffed and glared at the window, he rolled his eyes whispering, "this is off to a great start."

He'd known Blake was stubborn, but this was just icing on the cake. For the first time, he was watching his stubborn little sister huff and puff like an annoyed cat something that he honestly wanted to catch on camera.

"I feel worried," Blake admitted finally. Turning to look at him she tapped her finger on the table before saying, "I know that she's strong. I know that she's amazing, but I just can't shake the feeling that she'll get hurt if I'm not there to keep her safe."

"When did that start," he asked although he already had an idea.

"After the docks, although it was easier to ignore until the dance," she said her eyes flashing with annoyance. When he raised an eyebrow in question she huffed saying, "there's something off about Mercury. I don't know what it is but he sets off every red flag I have but there's no evidence that he's done anything. Somehow it feels like when Dakota's around Ruby, but Mercury doesn't smell like a faunus."

"What type is Dakota," he asked trying to keep his face serious. He was betting either a dog or another type of canine.

"Wolf," she hissed. It wasn't just that he was a canine though, but he teased her all the time during training. Waving over a waiter Adam coughed to hide his snickering. After placing their orders, he took a moment to think about her words. Something about Mercury gave off the same feel as a wolf faunus except there were no identifying faunus markings.

"I see, and you've seen no sign of this Mercury being a faunus," he asked just to make sure. When she shook her head petulantly, he frowned for a moment before saying, "then you feel threatened by him because he acts the same way that this Dakota does?"

"No," she admitted. Dakota was different because she knew he was just toying with her. The wolf was happily married with a daughter, so she knew he wasn't interested in Ruby.

"It's because your interest in her is romantic isn't it," he asked and smirked when she glared at him.

"Of course not, it's not like I'm interested in Ruby like that, I have Sun," she snapped the protest causing those around her to glance at their table with interest and amusement. An old man a few tables away even chuckled. Raising an eyebrow Adam just stared at her for a long moment.

"And why not," he asked curiosity in his voice. He actually wouldn't be surprised if they turned into something more in the coming years although, with the blooming war, he doubted there would be much time for them to acknowledge their feelings.

"She's a kid," Blake stated although she knew Sun would argue with her about it.

"When did you first start seeing her as a kid," Adam asked softly.

"After the docks," she said. She could still see Ruby with Viper's blade to her neck. It had been her fault that Ruby had gotten hurt and she hated herself for allowing it to happen. Ruby was someone who needed to be protected.

"When Viper poisoned her," Adam guessed gaining a nod in agreement.

It was nice to know he'd been right, but he couldn't pat himself on the back. Blake saw Ruby as a child because she'd almost seen her die. Her own instincts were telling her that Ruby was constantly in danger because his little sister couldn't reconcile the image of the girl who fought beside her with the one who almost died for her. Nothing he could say would help her deal with this either since it was something, she and Ruby would have to talk about on their own.

"Right well, lets put this aside for a moment," he said. He would love to be a fly on the wall when her attempts to protect the girl became smothering. He hoped the argument would be recorded at least. Shaking his head mentally he asked, "What do you know about imprinting?"

"Like with baby animals," she questioned tilting her head slightly. The action brought a reluctant smile to his face.

"Sure, so Claiming is like imprinting," he stated only to hear the mouse faunus a few tables away choke on his food when the man tried not to laugh. In hindsight perhaps it wasn't the best idea to have this conversation in a room full of people with super hearing. Deciding to ignore it he said, "Right well it's purely instinctive. You'll know you claimed someone when you feel a stronger emotional connection with them than other people."

Blake blinked her uncomfortable expression changing to thoughtful as she thought over his words. There were several people at Beacon that she cared about but there were only three that she could honestly say she couldn't live without. It was shocking for her to realize that Weiss was on that list. Ruby, she could understand since the girl was her first friend but Wiess was a surprise. A surprise that she hadn't expected at all although part of her wasn't surprised. They had been spending more time together and once she'd gotten through the white-haired girl's shell Weiss was more vulnerable than anyone expected.

"I claimed Weiss," she whispered in shock causing Adam to choke on his drink.

"Wait what?"

"Nothing," she said. Her glare was daring him to speak.

Oh, he'd heard her clearly. His sister really did have the worst of luck. To claim the heiress to the SDC was bad; although personal feelings aside he was beginning to wonder about the girl who could gain his sister's attention. Ruby was a given since Blake had been attached to the girl the moment, they met but Weiss was far more interesting.

"Sure, anyway from what I know cats are possessive creatures, it's not surprising that you feel threatened by someone being around what you see as yours," he said shrugging it off.

"So if this is all claiming is then why have you guys put off telling me," she asked annoyance in her voice that made him smirk.

"Because while it doesn't have to have romantic undertones it can," he said just to enjoy the way her eyes widened. Sipping his drink slowly he waited for her to narrow her eyes and begin to start an argument before stating, "And it was fun to watch you panic."

"Your horrible," Blake said. The deadpan tone matching the amount of annoyance she had in her eyes.

(Weiss)

Her hands hurt. The braided rope cutting into her wrists was distracting but she didn't show discomfort as the masked faunus talked quietly amongst themselves. The files were scattered on a table while her weapon was in the hands of the faunus currently standing beside her chair. At least they'd given her a chair. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea for her to go to Vale on her own but at least it had accomplished her goal of meeting the White Fang. Now if only she could think of something to say that wouldn't get her killed. Her captors had so far ignored her apparently, they were waiting on their boss to arrive.

From a logical standpoint, she could understand why they would wait but from an emotional one, she just hoped that he would show up soon so she could get her hands untied. Seeing another of the faunus shoot her a glance she sighed. They were most likely shocked she want freaking out and calling the filthy mongrels or something. Thinking back on her actions now she was fairly sure she'd acted like a racist brat.

Focusing on the fact her hands hurt kept her from thinking about the fact she was in a room full of White Fang agents who wanted her family dead. The dull fear she felt was tempered by the fact that if anything happened to her it would be less than a year until her father died setting Whitley and Winter free. Even without her Ozpin would go through with his plan. She wasn't necessary.

Hearing the door open she blinked her attention dragged back to the current situation as a blonde man entered the room without his mask on. Dark fury rose in her heart as she recognized him as the man who hurt her leader. He'd poisoned Ruby, tried to take Blake. She wanted to hurt him; it was hard to push down that urge but she did. Years of practice was the only reason she was able to keep herself from snapping at him in her anger. If she remembered correctly Blake had called him Viper. Fitting that a man who uses poison would be named after a snake.

Watching him move over to the table and look through the files and her planning notebook she considered using a glyph to break free of the ropes. If someone didn't untie her in the next ten minutes, she would do it. Briefly, she wondered if anyone had noticed her go missing. Yang was still out, Blake had snuck off, and Ruby had been gone when she woke up. Was it wrong she had the sudden urge to put trackers on her teammates? Shifting slightly in discomfort she frowned before seeing the blonde glance in her direction. His eyes meeting hers for a moment then he straightened.

"Leave us," he ordered. The tone of his voice set her on edge. Seeing him take her weapon she raised an eyebrow as he simply laid it on the table. Once they were alone, he smirked saying, "your calm for a kidnap victim."

"I can get out of here any time I want," she admitted truthfully. At his disbelieving expression, she focused. A black glyph appearing around her hands and pushing the rope away from her skin until it snapped and fell to the floor. Rubbing her wrist, she flinched as cold metal touched her neck. Looking up at him she barely kept herself from flinching, but she managed. Then she noticed the scent clinging to him like a fine mist. He smelt like blood.

Humming slightly, he pulled back his gaze darkening slightly. She was afraid although she tried to hide it. They'd been contacted after she showed up in the café and now here, they were. He hadn't expected to get a call saying that the Schnee heiress had been captured but it appeared she had. Lowering the blade from her neck he pulled away. It would be easy to kill her and move on, but she had files that they were sent by their spies. A breach of security like this was worrying. What if she'd shared this with her father?

"Are you the leader in Vale," she asked softly. Her mask of politeness never-fading even as she felt slightly afraid.

"No, our leader isn't available right now," he told her as he studied the girl. When he'd seen her at the docks, she'd been fighting to save a faunus. She might be different than her father, but he wouldn't trust her just yet. Adam would, however, want to hear what she said and if Sienna never learned about this then it wasn't his problem.

"I see," she said her eyes narrowing in thought.

She'd hoped to talk to the leader of the Vale branch of the White Fang; Blake had said that he was a reasonable person. If she could get a plea for peace to the High Leader before her father died, then it might be possible to open peace talks after his death. Or at least ask for a truce during her path to cleaning the SDC of corruption. She did not doubt that her father had corrupted the organization.

Watching the girl's face change to disappointment Viper glanced over at the documents on the table. Looking at them now he could see they were from a few months ago; prior to Blake leaving the White Fang. Could the cat have given her access to these? It was possible especially since Blake was a known traitor in the eyes Sienna; however, he knew for a fact that the cat was meeting with Adam regularly. Not only that but she would never do anything to jeopardize the organization that her family built. Blake trusted the girl, a Schnee, enough to give her these documents. So, the cat didn't see the girl as an enemy.

He could admit that he was interested now. It wasn't every day that a Schnee trusted by a former White Fang member, a high level one, dropped into his lap. He couldn't take a heavy-handed approach with this either considering the last time he acted without thinking he lost Flare. The only issue was that being gentle and taking things slow wasn't something he was good at; unless it was Nix but the girl was his daughter so that was an entirely different situation.

"You can, however, tell me what you have to say," he offered once he realized the girl wasn't going to say anything.

"And it will get back to your leader," she asked cautiously. If anything, she said got back to her father then everything could get ruined.

"Yes," he said watching her eyes flicker to the documents on the desk as she bit her lip.

Frustration warred with caution as she considered her options. On one hand, anything she said could lead to Jacques living but on the other, this was her chance to start changing things for the better. She knew nothing about this man, there was no guarantee that he would keep his promise, yet she was tired of just plotting in the dark with no one to help her. She wanted, no needed, help from someone and while this man might not be the one, she came to find she didn't really care. Sighing she took a deep breath before she began talking; her eyes lighting gup in vindictive amusement as his own widened.

(Niko)

Mercury had fallen for the bait and with any luck, the boy would desert Cinder. Speaking so openly about the upcoming war had been a risk but now that it had paid off if only a little he could relax. All that was left was to deal with the fallout of the grimm invasion in a few days. His men were ready to step in and undermine Cinder's efforts along with Ozpin's little students. Everything in Vale was going great which led him to believe that something would eventually go wrong.

Jacques would be eliminated just after the start of the Vytal festival; his assassin was already in place to ensure that everything went smoothly. With their plans moving forward, he worried that something would happen to derail it. A lack of huntsmen and huntresses in the area between Vale and Mistral wasn't a laughing matter but there was nothing he could do. Raven had already deployed the tribe into that area but given the scope and size, it would be hard for them to take care of all issues that arose.

Atlas was locked down with Ironwood's secret base still under investigation; although it seemed that having his people stalk the scientists had born fruit. Arthur Watts, a supposed dead man, had been shown meeting with both Ironwood's personal scientists and Jacques Schnee. His spies hadn't been able to listen in on the meeting, but they did find several warehouses that would be searched soon. To make matters worse Dr. Pietro Polendina had been seen entering the secret base.

Oh, and how could he forget that Penny Polendina's team technically didn't exist. Well, Ciel Soleil did but the other two were ghosts. There was literally no record of them before this year and as if to personally insult him the cover-up wasn't even done properly. The poor job led him to believe that either Ironwood hired idiots or the two wouldn't be around long enough for it to matter. From the skills and instincts, the blonde boy had Niko had been curious; even going so far as to send a video to Aiden Kane for analysis. The former assassin turned bandit tribe healer still hadn't gotten back to him. The girl Evelin, however, had been familiar especially after Flare had been as kind as to fill him in on the girl's actual name.

Cheri Stripe a terrorist who was captured by the military two months ago. It was enough to point to Adrian being a criminal as well; if a well-hidden one. Ironwood had hired criminals to fill in spots on Penny's team meaning something fishy was going on with the ginger-haired girl. So, he'd looked her up only to find Penny Polendina was a black-haired blue-eyed girl with dark skin who was reported to have died after a dust incident at her father's lab.

Hi, guys sorry for the long wait. I had finals to study for and then I got sick. Life sucks sometimes. Anyway, I finally finished this chapter so yay. So Mt. Gleen officially starts the next chapter, and Coco is still missing. What do you guys think of Amber's situation?

Also to Jack: Every character in this story has someone they love but there are times when loving something can cause more harm than good. Let's just say that the Mercury, Emerald, and Cinder storyline isn't going to end well for anyone.

The poll is currently leaning toward the RWBY AU as my next big story but it will be up until the end of this one. Also, review votes count if you want to vote that way.

I want to wish everyone a great Christmas too (or whatever holiday you celebrate)

-Shyla