August 13th

Haven Academy

City of Mistral

Mistral

Downtown

9:55 PM

All was dark when the small group stepped into the expansive ballroom at Haven Academy. Even the diamond chandeliers did not glint, and the uneasy feeling that was settling over them all was only amplified by the seemingly empty room. It was the largest part of Haven, a fact that was unsurprising when the opulence of the families who sent their children to the academy were considered. This was most certainly not Atlas where the academy also prepared many students directly for the military, being that Atlas Academy (or the naval academy, as many referred to it) was only one of four military academies in Atlas. This was a place that created wealthy oligarchs who could hold their own in a fight and, even more worrying, it was the place that had given Ashlynn Schnee a place to hide shortly after her first disappearance and, later, after her escape from jail. It set everyone on edge, and amplified those feelings in a few of them.

Ruby had one hand tightly intertwined with Weiss' with Crescent Rose ready to fire in the other. Weiss was also prepared and kept her free hand resting over the hilt of her sword. Blake moved quickly around all of them, flitting about as if she were expecting an attack at any moment. Yang followed after her partner, her fists clenched, and trying to avoid her mother's gaze. Raven had barely said a word to any of them all day, something which concerned all of them. The discomfort was not helped by the palpable tension between Tai and his ex-wife, both of whom kept sending the other decidedly nasty looks whenever they were given the chance. Whether or not the aminosity between then was a result of her leaving or the (much more recent) spats with Elizabeth was immaterial; it was yet another sign of how frayed they were all becoming. General Ciel's sudden orders for multiple assassinations had not made things any better, either.

Elizabeth and James had both refused to second the demands Emmeline had made and had gone so far as to call Karissa Mar in Atlas to have a tertiary rejection of the move. The result had not been pretty and Emmeline had refused to speak to them for several days before she had been coaxed out of it by Emmett. Even now, with her hair tied up in a long monochrome braid, she seemed tense and a little unsteady. Emmett had long since sensed it, and had an arm protectively wrapped around her while their daughters kept exchanging nervous looks that suggested neither of them knew what to make of the sudden anger that risen in their mother.

Annetta, too, walked cautiously with her hands clenched nervously around her axe. She herself was worried for her mother but for very different reasons. Annetta did not fear Cristal was unraveling the way her cousins and uncle feared Emmeline was; it was the knowledge that Cristal, while immensely powerful in her own right, had rarely fought and, if a fight was in fact to happen, would have to expend her maiden powers and her semblance to extents she had never needed to before. Ozpin, however, held full faith in her and only kept his hand wrapped tightly in hers to keep her calm for the time being.

Of course, Cristal was not alone in feeling that something was not right. Both James and Glynda kept a tight hold on their respective weapons and they kept glancing to each other anxiously. Qrow seemed to be the only one among them whom truly appeared to be calm but even he did not like the situation. He trusted Leo and he trusted Ozpin but he was not so sure he still trusted some of the others, especially Emmeline. He had never expected for her to be so hardline and he feared she was nearing a breaking point. He hated he held such doubt of someone he'd trusted for so long, but he couldn't help it. Reaching for his scythe, he sighed heavily.

It was all too horrible and he didn't want to believe any of it. He hated the notion of an ally of two decades endangering them, and he almost hated himself for pondering it. Then, they all stopped. The lights began to impossibly flicker before cutting out again and, within a minute, there was a short scream from Cristal and a few bolts of lightning before everything became bright enough for the room to be seen in focus. The Winter Maiden had been brought to her knees and had deep scratches up and down her arms. Her aura, still strong, was rippling over her in waves and Ozpin was temporarily distracted, trying to heal his wife.

Annetta let out a yelp in horror upon seeing her mother, which was met by a piercing, jeering laugh, signalling the worst had yet to come. That was when they could see who they were going to have to deal with. Shifty as ever, Leonardo fidgeted from where he was, still acting as a spy on the enemy. Out from the shadows then stepped Emerald Sustrai, armed to the teeth and tensing when she saw Glynda. Soon beside her was Mercury, who winked at Yang mockingly. The brawler did not take kindly to this and started towards him but was stopped when Blake gently grabbed her hand.

Tai stepped in front of his daughter and her teammates in a protective move, and Raven pushed forward to analyze the situation for herself. She was horrified when Vernal appeared beside Mercury but, upon meeting her gaze, realized Vernal had a plot afoot to handle the ones she appeared to be siding with. It was shortly after that Hazel Rainart revealed himself and he let out a primal scream of rage when he saw Ozpin. He almost charged towards him but was held back by a series of ropes from one of the many weapons in the hands of one of the last people they had expected to see: Sienna Kahn, the high leader of the White Fang herself.

"I've spent many years trying to bring about justice, even when it was by means that were not...initially acceptable," Sienna said, stepping to the forefront and crossing her arms. "And I couldn't pass up this opportunity, not when the boy told me you all would be here tonight."

Her gaze lingered in Emmeline Ciel, who met her stare with a look of unwavering loathing.

"I killed Edward Ciel almost exactly twenty one years ago, didn't I?" Sienna shook her head and went on. "If only he had listened to me...perhaps he would have been useful."

"You are utterly without mercy and remorse, aren't you?" Emmeline hissed. "Do you honestly believe you're going to come out of any confrontation with Atlas alive?"

Sienna tossed her hair over her shoulder. "I do, because I have support, not to mention the fact that I'm sure you and James Ironwood have lost your touch. And, I have to say, I never would have expected to see Cristal Schnee of all people here. I thought all she did was put my people in jail for doing what's right."

Emmeline was about to respond to the woman's taunts but James was faster.

"We aren't here seeking a fight," He said calmly, if looking disdainfully at Kahn. "If you all agree to surrender now, we won't harm you."

Sienna laughed mirthlessly. "That's where you're mistaken, General. We are here for a fight and we're not going to stop until we have the victory that has been long overdue. Your arrogance ends here, I'm afraid."

"Is that so?" Emmeline snapped. "You're delusional, you're —"

"Right!" Sienna yelled, intentionally trying to provoke the Atlesian general. "I was right to kill your father and I was right to vow to end your family line and I will start right now by killing you!"

"Oh, really?" Emmeline angrily challenged, taking Emmett's sword before he could object. "Survive my wrath!"

Emmeline suddenly darted towards the woman, sword drawn. Her mind was racing too fast for her to think clearly but, once she was in perfect range, she still steadied her hands and raised the sword up. She then leaped and set herself to strike a lethal blow but just barely missed and, instead of stabbing the leader of the White Fang clean through, only managed to get a deep graze through the young woman's right arm and part of her chest. Sienna cried out in pain but, almost as soon as Emmeline had landed back on the ground, used a powerful aura blast to knock the general back halfway across the room.

The action broke what had remained of her aura after the general's attack but was strong enough to shake the room. Mercury cursed, for once wishing that Watts was there to fight alongside them despite knowing the man would be nearly to Atlas since his departure shortly after their meeting with Leo. The seconds that followed were tense at best, and the low lighting began to flicker again more and more. Emmett had run to his wife's side to help her off the ground and steady her and the rest of them were prepared for an all out fight. It was more than clear, after all, that Emmeline Ciel had set something in motion.

"You...are out of your mind," Sienna wheezed, pushing herself back up off the floor. "And you will...pay for doing this to me…"

Chaos then erupted. Sienna, in an attempt to confuse them all, changed targets and ran towards James with lethal intent. She was unsuccessful, however, and was knocked several feet back by a well aimed dust glyph summoned by Glynda. The high leader of the White Fang panted, cursing all the while, and began shortly thereafter to yell at her companions to kill all that stood in their way. She began to heal herself while a few of her lackeys from outside came to both guard and aid her. Leonardo took no action, unsure if he would survive if he revealed his true loyalties so soon.

Vernal, however, gave up on subterfuge and kicked Mercury in the back to give herself a head start to reconvene with Raven. It wasn't as if she gave a damn about anyone else there. Then there were Emerald and Mercury, both of whom seemed initially too stunned to act. It took a moment but, almost without warning, they tore off in opposite directions. With everything a blur in the chaos, it was hard for the group, though they outnumbered their foes, to tell what was going on. Exploding dust crystals were flying everywhere, the chandeliers were shaking, the lights were flickering, and everything seemed uncertain for a time.

Emerald ran at Cristal Schnee, who seemed defenseless while Glynda, nearby, was trying to clear the smoke and dust with her semblance. Not yet deciding to bother with her weapons, Emerald threw a sharp punch that left the Winter Maiden winded and on her knees. Glynda knocked the young woman back but Emerald was quickly running towards Cristal again. Terrified, Cristal activated her maiden powers and enveloped the young woman in a small snowstorm. By the time she was able to escape from the Winter Maiden's storm, she was disoriented at best and both of her opponents took advantage of this to ward her off. With the combination of Glynda using her semblance and Cristal using her powers as the Winter Maiden to keep Ashlynn's apprentice at bay, she was thrown far back from her original target. She landed on the ground on the other side of the ballroom and, briefly stunned and stopped around her, were Jaune Arc, Lie Ren, and Matt Mar-Ciel.

When she saw Jaune's face contort in anger, Emerald smirked at him and gritted her teeth while she got off the ground. She then pulled the gun Watts had given her a week before from its holster on her side and pointed it at him before the others. She knew as well as Jaune did that she had been Cinder's only apprentice and favorite subordinate, and she knew exactly why that enraged him. He glowered at her, but, through gritted teeth, she only smirked and set herself up to shoot all three of them. She lingered over Matt and, when she remembered who he was, fired her first shot at him.

He ducked out of the way and pulled out his own gun to fire back at her in retaliation, managing to shoot her in the arm after three attempts. Emerald shrieked in pain and her aura rippled over her; then, she set the gun to her side and decided she preferred to fight the three of them fist to fist. This startled Jaune when she tore at him, attempting to tackle him to the ground, and he only escaped her fury because he jumped out of the way, letting out a decidedly short, shrill scream. She ended up, because of Jaune's fright, with her fists locked against Matt Mar-Ciel's. Much to her misfortune, he unleashed his silver, knife-like gauntlets from within his sleeves within a few seconds of her sharply smashing into him.

They rippped at her aura and scratched up her fists, only serving to heighten her already violent anger. She kicked him in the stomach to knock him back long enough to rip out her hunting knife. By the time he was at her throat again, she was ready. She parried the sharp edges of his gauntlets with her knife, looking for a weak spot to exploit. She found one quickly but she could not stab him through it because, just before she could lodge the knife under his gauntlets, a gunshot whistles past her ear in warning. Emerald whipped around, startled, and was tackled by Ren who, due to the stealth he had gained after years on his own with only Nora, slammed an experimental aura cuff onto her wrist. She yelled, but was severely restricted by the loss of access to her aura and semblance.

"The...hell...did you get that?" Emerald spat, and Ren smirked with a knowing glance to Matt. "Well?" She demanded.

Ren shrugged. "Might have nicked it from the briefcase of an Atlesian Council official or maybe I didn't. Either way…"

Emerald thrashed out of his grasp and sprinted away, seemingly finding a place to hide until she were in a better position to fight. Jaune, Matt, and even a slightly prideful Ren smacked their hands together victoriously but they were alone in the feeling. The lights continued to flicker, and the plumes of exploded dust were still distorting the rest of the ballroom. They could not see much, but, amongst the chaos, their friends and teammates were fighting the others — including Emerald's partner. Surrounded just as the others were in continuously exploding plumes of smoke, Ruby, and Weiss were fighting Mercury with the aid of Lysithea and Samara. He was a vicious opponent.

It seemed, for every glyph Weiss sent his way, he managed to jump out of their snares before they could take effect. With every swing of Ruby's beloved scythe, he managed to block it with his metal foot. Samara kept missing every shot she fired at him, and Lysithea was struggling to keep him in range for her dust manipulations. It was almost as if he had no weaknesses to exploit, from his metal foot to his head. However, upon him smacking Ruby's scythe with his foot and creating a rippling recoil effect around them, Lysithea, a mastermind like no other, found his weakness — and all while she, her sister, cousin, and friend were struggling to get off the ground.

"You girls are cute," Mercury teased, smirking at all of them as he dusted off his boot. "Hell, you've obviously been practicing...but you're missing one key thing. I've got years on you."

He laughed, looking at Ruby, who only clutched Crescent Rose tighter, waiting for a prime opportunity to shoot.

"And Ciel's kids seem to have her temperament," Mercury went on, much to the annoyance of Samara and Lysithea. "All things considered —"

"You're getting cocky, you little —" Lysithea started, angrily tossing a bowl of ice dust to Weiss.

Mercury merely winked in reply and finally turned on the former Schnee heiress, who, unbeknownst to him, had caught onto her cousin's scheme.

"Aren't you just a delicate little flower?" He taunted, enjoying the anger he saw rising in her face. "Just an heiress, right? How come you think you stronger than someone like me?"

"Because I'm more than an heiress!" Weiss snapped, activating her semblance and encapsulating Mercury in an ice crystal for a moment. "And you're irrelevant!"

He stumbled upon the ice shattering around him and started at them again when the room stopped spinning but even he knew he was considerably weakened. In the dust and smoke, though, a dangerous collegue of his was not. Hazel Rainart, having long since lost sight of Ozpin and Cristal in the fighting, had charged after the supposed traitor — Vernal — and had been furiously held back by her leader, Tai, Yang, and Blake. A brawler at heart just like his daughter, Tai was focused on one thing: breaking their opponent's aura. He threw punches and kicks at him right alongside Yang and their synchronicity from years of him training her showed. Many of the punches he missed were compensated by her own, and it was more than apparent that their foe was having trouble deciding whom to deal with first.

The brute was surrounded, after all, by a frenzy of punches and kickes, courtesy of the father and daughter brawling duo, and he kept being smacked in the sides by Raven and Vernal's blades. Yet one opponent of his caught his eye by the cat ears on her head. He knew exactly who she was even though she did not know him. The girl who was whipping around him, helping the others assault his aura, was the princess of Menagerie herself. For all his faults, Hazel had never imagined he would fight the girl who one day would lead him and his brethren but, as she was clearly unopposed to fighting him, he believed that he did not have much of a choice.

"Aren't you supposed to be on our side?" Hazel roared at Blake. "You think these humans give a damn about you?"

Blake swallowed hard but nodded despite her fear of what he could still be capable of.

"I know at least one of them does," She said, brushing her hair over her shoulder.

Blake wrapped him up with a long whip out of Gambol Shroud. Yang then winked at her partner, taking advantage of the moment, and began to punch at him relentlessly, trying to break his aura. Tai began to do the same, but Hazel managed to catch Yang's wrist halfway to striking him again and threw her out of the fight. Yet then, through the smoke, Qrow and Raven Branwen smacked him with their swords and he fell to his knees, cursing. Running right back into the fight just as Blake wrapped her weapon around the man again, Yang angrily threw a sharp punch into his side. She was the compounded by Nora striking him in the back with Magnhild and, of course, a wild grin.

Curiously, though, it was tiny Annetta Schnee that, with a mighty swing from her axe, tore through the plumes of smoke and broke his aura. She landed like she had from her days as a competitive gymnast, and they all readied themselves to take Hazel down. He let out a horrible, primal, ear-piercing roar and prepared to take all of them down with his sheer force and anger but that was when the explosions went silent and the dust and smoke briefly cleared. Within less than a minute, things were clear enough for there to be relative sight of everything around them. It was then they all realized that Emmeline Ciel had tackled Sienna to the ground and had her rifle pointed clearly at the woman's head. She was ready to kill.

"Are you going to kill me?" Sienna taunted, struggling still to summon enough energy to slam Ciel off of her. "And cause Adam Taurus to take my place? Really, do you even have it in you to kill me?"

"I don't want to," Emmeline hissed, glancing away as she steadied her finger over the trigger. "But you're in my way."

Emmeline pushed down on her rifle's trigger but was suddenly slammed backwards by a man who briefly seemed larger than life. Her shot missed her target, who managed to scuttle away, and instead lodged itself in Hazel Rainart's arm. He grunted and let out an indignant yell before he charged at the general but was stopped by a glyph and then by the snap of a sword's blade against his skin. He looked up to find himself parrying both Emmett Schnee and Emmeline Ciel while both of them moved to attack him. A few seconds later, though, the man Hazel had been after all along began to fight with them. Ozpin, like Emmett and Emmeline, was, too, quickly caught up in the crazed frenzy.

Though he would never confess to any weakness, let alone in front of Ozpin, he knew that the beatings he had already taken had greatly reduced his aura. It would not be long before it snapped entirely, and Hazel was well aware, as he continued to thrash at Ozpin, Schnee, and Ciel, that things would not end well for him if he did not end their confrontation quickly. Ozpin was the only one he sought to kill; though he detested Emmett Schnee for all the things the man's father had done, he would have to be a prize for another day. The same was true of Emmeline Ciel; Hazel knew she was dangerous but, at the same time, she was not an immediate issue. It would always be on Ozpin's head.

Letting out a loud, primal scream, Hazel smacked Emmett and Emmeline back far too suddenl for them to escape from his fury. The brute then turned on the man he had sought all along to kill. Ozpin steadied himself and considered, if only briefly, trying to reason with the man but realized it would be no use. Hazel charged at him, making no attempts to hide that he was going for the kill. Ozpin tightened his hand around his cane and, when Hazel was too close to be stopped in his rampage, jumped out of the way. It was then Emmett managed to jump onto Hazel's back and cling there, his sword stretched to his side. He was a distraction, he knew, and Ozpin took advantage of his brother-in-law's scheme.

With Hazel temporarily distracted in trying to shake Emmett off of him, Ozpin and Emmeline charged at Hazel from both sides. Just when she shot him in his right side with a fire dust bullet, Ozpin smacked him with his cane from the left. Between their attacks and Emmett's almost amusing thrashing, Hazel's aura broke. He let loose an enraged yell but it was cut short by Emmett, who used the hilt of his sword to hit the brute in the back of the head. The force was more than enough, and, for Hazel, everything began to go dark. He fell to the ground unconscious but the last thing he saw was not the man he blamed for his sister's death. Rather, he saw Sienna Kahn closing in on her new targets just as the smoke she had been creating filled the room again.

"You're a misguided little girl," Sienna said, spitting on the ground before starting to approach Ruby, Weiss, Sam, and Lily. "A misguided little girl with ties, it seems, to some cruel friends."

Weiss met her harsh gaze unwaveringly. "I'm sorry for my family's share of wrongs," She said, her hand tightening around Myrtenaster. "But killing more people isn't going to make things right."

Miffed by her words, Sienna started towards her but was pulled back by Ruby's scythe. More than anything else, there was tension. As Sienna pulled out her whip and began to fight them in earnest, the four girls prepared themselves for defense. None of them wanted to kill her, but they all recognised that Sienna did want to kill them. It was then and there that they readied their weapons and began to fight and defend. The clash that ensued was loud and echoing, but it was nothing compared to the way Mercury had found himself being all but castrated and hog-tied by Raven Branwen. When he had moved in to do much worse to Yang than he had tried to during the Vytal Festival, Raven had swooped in to help her daughter earn her due. Mercury laughed and tried to knock her back with a sharp uppercut but she shifted just far enough to be out of the way. She then retaliated by punching him (rather sharply) in the groin while Yang kicked him in the head. He collapsed to the ground and, for the first time, lost his jeering amusement. He now sought to get revenge on both mother and daughter.

He kicked at Yang and tried to shoot her, but the shots he fired kept bouncing off her beloved gauntlets. Seething, he punched her in the breasts and took advantage of her being briefly winded to turn his attention to Raven. He did not, however, get the chance he was looking for and instead had to swiftly kick up to avoid her the blade of her sword. Raven then swung down and managed to hit him in his hip. Yang pounced on him a few seconds later with a series of sharp punches to his face and a well aimed shot from her gauntlets to his foot. His aura then gave in and his rage only heightened. He reached for the gun he had attached to his side and moved in as soon as he got the chance to take a few shots at Yang. All of them missed, and she retaliated in kind.

"Fuck...you!" Mercury yelled, trying to shoot Yang again but still falling short.

Raven swooped down and smacked him down, kicking the gun out of his hands. Mercury glared at her and tried, very much in vain, to tackle her. He instead felt her heels hit him in the head and he quickly fell unconscious.

"That's for what you did to my daughter."

Raven quickly dusted herself off and smiled lightly at Yang, who looked greatly amused. Their amusement was short lived, though, upon noticing Mercury's partner moving in on the Fall Maiden.

"You killed her!" Emerald shrieked, attempting to punch Glynda, who managed to dodge out of the way. "And for what? Some stupid powers you never should have had in the first place?"

"I...did what I had...to…" Glynda said, continuing to fight back the young woman and trying to avoid having to use her magic. "But it was me...or her —"

She skidded back about three feet upon Emerald slamming a pulse at her by breaking two crystals of raw gravity dust against each other. Steadying herself on her feet again, Glynda attached her crop to her boot and decided it was best to fight the young woman in a hand to hand fight. Emerald, seeing her opponent appear to surrender her weapon, dropped all of her arms to the floor and ran at her, preparing for a powerful kick. Glynda caught her foot and flipped her over but Emerald quickly threw a sharp punch that pushed the huntress back. Not underestimating the power behind the young woman's attacks or the rage that fueled them, Glynda braced herself for the onslaught.

Emerald, screaming all the while, sprinted at the Fall Maiden, who, briefly scared while the memory of her team's final mission returned, closed her eyes. Glynda crossed her arms in front of herself in protection, knowing she didn't have enough time to properly react. All of her aura was focused there and, when Emerald's fist made contact, a small glyph formed to protect the Fall Maiden further. Her aura caused a recoil so strong it shook the room. The diamond chandeliers above quavered and the lights flickered again and then all was shortly still. When Glynda lowered her arms, she saw that Emmett had moved to help protect her and that the shock from her aura had rendered Emerald unconscious on the ground.

"So," Sienna Kahn said, her voice dripping in acid as she looked at the huntress and threw aside her whip. "This is how it's going to be, is it not?"

A few of her lackeys from the White Fang that had come inside quickly pulled the unconscious Emerald Sustrai away so she would not become a casualty. Sienna then, rather haughtily despite still being injured and weakened from her tousle, started towards where Glynda, James, Emmett, and Emmeline had gathered together.

"Team...JGEE," Sienna said, elongating their team name as jewel. "Seems that I was mistaken. You're more capable than I ever saw fit to give you credit for —"

Her words were cut off by Emmeline, her mind foggy and racing, running at her again. All the general could feel in the moment was the pain of her father's murder and the lingering phantom pain from where Ashlynn had shot her years before in her shoulder. She was being crushed from the inside by an unrelenting tidal wave that would not stop until she had her retribution. Emmeline knew if she were willing to pause for even a moment that she was not thinking straight but she ignored that knowledge and let her desire for vengeance subsume her. She could all but hear the words of her sister-in-law taunting her. She could all but feel how the world had gone dark only for her to come to with her husband rushing to her side and Ashlynn being taken away by the authorities.

Terrible memories of the things she had seen while on missions were returning to her, and then she felt almost as if she were being stabbed upon her recalling how her father had laid in death. The funeral, and the burial, and the words she had spoken that day were flooding her mind. Tears of rage were forming at the edges of her eyes and, barely able to perceive anything else around her, Emmeline fired a single shot from her pistol into Sienna's side. The woman shrieked upon her aura finally breaking again and Emmeline threw the gun aside and took advantage of her opponent's weakness to tackle her. The general then pressed the dagger she had strapped to her side against the defenseless woman's throat, seething from decades of anger towards her and all she had done to her family and so many others.

"You and I both know you had absolutely no right to do what you did to all of those people that day!" Emmeline said, her breathing heavy and her voice shaking because of it. "Thousands of people are dead because of you...and my father is among them! You will die for that! I swear it here and now!"

Emmeline, without giving herself a chance to hesitate, plunged the dagger into the woman's chest. She stabbed her thrice more afterwards, far more times than was necessary, and then dropped the dagger when she stood up. Suddenly, the room was hazy and the silence that had befallen it was grim. Her head was spinning, and then everything was spinning, and then, still covered in blood, Emmeline collapsed to her knees, holding her head. Her kids, husband, sister-in-law, and Glynda and James all ran towards her, but it was her husband who reached her first. Not caring about the gore or the situation, Emmett pulled Emmeline tightly into him and let her begin to sob into his chest while he stroked her hair. No one else knew how to react. Lysithea and Samara were both in shock that their mother had assassinated the leader of the White Fang. Cristal felt ill and yet wanted to protect her sister in law, having believed that Kahn had it coming for years. Ozpin felt very much the same as his wife and merely attempted to comfort her while they all took in the situation.

James could barely believe what they had seen; he knew Emmeline had a vindictive side but he had never expected it would be so strong as to compel her to disobey a direct order from the Council against committing to an assassination. Glynda was both horrified and worried for her friend; she and Emmeline had been close for years and she had never imagined that Emmeline could be responsible for something to the caliber of what they had all witnessed. It was horrible, it dredged up painful recollections for all of them. The attacks in 2001 were at the forefront of everyone's recollections, but Glynda and James both remembered what had happened in the south Menagerie sea as well as their fight with Ashlynn. Emmett and Cristal found themselves remembering what their sister had tried to do to Emmeline while Ozpin tried not to dwell on the Fall Of Beacon. It was then, in that moment while their remaining enemies slipped into the darkness, they all made the horrible realization that, in many ways, the curtains had closed and they were all going to have to prepare for the second act and whatever it was to bring upon them.

"What a wonderful scene this is," Raven muttered to Vernal, who sighed. "I have to say, I can barely believe it."

Ozpin warily glanced to her and then to Leonardo who nodded shortly.

"You're the Spring Maiden?" He nervously asked her, and Raven scowled in reply. "The real one?"

"Yes," Raven affirmed.

Leonardo motioned her and Vernal to follow him down to Haven's vault. Another moment passed with the only sound being Emmeline's broken sobs and Emmett's gentle murmurings to her. Then, if a little suspicious, Glynda turned to Ozpin.

"I have to ask," She said, crossing her arms and only marginally relaxing upon James resting a hand on her shoulder. "The Relic of Knowledge?" She shook her head when Ozpin did not respond. "Why remove it from the vault?"

"It's not going to be safe here in Mistral much longer," Ozpin said, glancing worriedly to Cristal. "I'm afraid we must bring the lamp back with us to Atlas."

James tensed. "And store it with the staff?"

"Where else?" Ozpin paused for a moment and then shook his head. "I know Elizabeth left this morning on her private transport, but, when they return, we have to as well."

"I'll have Argus send a transport down," James said, pulling out his scroll and logging the new order. "Cordovan might not be happy about it, but she won't reject an order from a superior unless the situation was suspect."

Cristal, looking a little shaken and frail, glanced to her brother and sister-in-law before turning back to him.

"Is…" She started, her voice weak and barely audible. "With Emily…"

"We have at least three hours before the transport gets here," James told her, then moving to address them all. "Let's head back and pack everything up. Those of us going back to Atlas will be leaving in a few hours when the transport from Argus arrives."

Qrow snorted and gestured to Emmeline.

"What'cha going to do about her?" He asked, ignoring the dark look he got from the rest of them. "What? It's a valid —"

"This is a sensitive matter and it must be handled delicately," Glynda reminded him, irritated by his tactlessness. "Emmett," She said gently. "I think you and Emmeline should probably head back and maybe...clean yourselves up."

Emmett nodded, still holding Emmeline, who was shaking heavily, her uniform splattered with blood, tightly against him while they stood up.

"Shh…" He murmured, softly pressing his lips against her forehead. "It'll be okay, Emmy. The smoke has cleared, the danger is gone. You're safe now…"

Emmeline found herself struggling to speak and only quivered against him. Slowly, he helped her walk out to the car. No one spoke until they were gone.

"I…" Samara looked to Glynda, trying not to cry. "What's...is my mom —"

"She'll be okay," Glynda assured her. "But it's probably for the best if we're all gentle with her going forward."

Qrow rolled his eyes. "For those of us that don't wanna die, sure."

Cristal shocked him with her maiden powers.

"How insensitive are you?" She exclaimed. "Are you —"

"The facts are the facts," Qrow started rubbing at his neck where she had shocked him. "And, God damn it, that hurt!"

Ozpin sighed, taking in all that was around them before he spoke.

"I'm not sure what is going to happen moving forward," He admitted, his hands jammed in his pockets while he stared at his feet. "But, by the looks of it, we have quite a bit on our hands and it seems things are only going to get worse."

Author's Note: hey, y'all, I hope all y'all liked this redux of the battle of Haven, especially since I wrote it from scratch. I'd love to hear the feelings all y'all have on it, as well as ideas for thr upcoming chapters! Lots of love, Semblance.