The rest of the way to Beacon was quiet while Sable mulled over what Blake had said.
Sable wasn't as shocked as she might have been when confronted with the deaths of tens of thousands.
She guessed it was because of all those video games Jaune played. Mortal Kombat had more than inured her to the idea of grisly death.
What bothered her instead was how the authorities seemed to have no idea of this overall plan. They'd found Cinder, but she was going on with her plan anyway. What about Ozpin or General Ironwood? Heck, the whole Atlesian military was sitting in Vale, but they were as in the dark as Sable had been.
Why didn't Blake and Neo go to Ozpin and tell him everything they knew? "Hey Blake, why didn't you go tell Ozpin everything you know?"
"Well, we…huh. Why didn't we?" Blake looked honestly confused. "It must have slipped my mind. It happened so fast. The Breach, and then I got kidnapped. I assumed Ozpin already knew."
"But it's possible he doesn't know the full picture."
"Right. Yeah, thanks for reminding me. I'll go find Ozpin while you meet your brother."
"I'll go with you."
Blake considered it, then said "No. You finally get to see your brother again. You should enjoy it. And besides, Ozpin might not understand me trying to help Neo and keep from leaving. I don't want to be stuck in Beacon while she's off saving the Kingdom. If it's just me, I can make a quick getaway. They won't even see my face. I'll just a leave a note."
Sable nodded, a little relieved. She hadn't really wanted to meet with the bigwigs just yet. Her father complained enough about them, Ozpin especially, for all the Arc sisters to grow a little biased against them.
"Okay then. I assume that means we don't want to be seen together?"
Blake nodded. "Right. I'll lead you to Jaune's room. Stay thirty paces behind me. I'll go to the tower and I'll meet you back at the docks."
The Bullhead docked with a light tremor. Just as Blake prepared to step off, Sable noted her black and white outfit, uncovered face, and trademark black bow. "Wait! What about your disguise?"
Blake's eyes widened. "Oh, right! Almost forgot!" She whipped a black cloak around herself. She ended up looking like a stereotypical wanted fugitive from a movie trying to remain unseen. "This is my trusty cloak Hidey. He's served me well in the past year."
"You do realize you look like a wanted fugitive right?" Blake looked a little too proud. "Yeah, but I don't look like Blake, right?" "Touche."
They went off toward the Beacon dorms. A few people looked strangely at Blake, but by the time they tried for a second look, they only saw the blonde Arc. However she acted, Blake did seem to be good at remaining unseen. Sable, who kept one eye on Blake at all times to avoid getting lost (Beacon was big!), watched in some fascination the cat faunus' impressive evasion skills.
She would weave around people's field of vision, ducking below, or behind people, into trees or directly flipping right over people's heads. To Sable, it was like she engaging in an intricate dance with shadows. To the people she avoided, it was like she was never there at all.
In this way, they eventually turned into a hallway with two doors facing each other. Blake knocked on the door on the right, walking past without stopping. When Blake turned the corner, a door clicked open.
For whatever reason, it was the left door that opened.
"Huh? Did someone knock?" A slightly bedraggled blonde opened the door, obviously needing rest, and lacking it, if the bags under her eyes were any indication. Lilac eyes found hers. "Oh! Do I know you."
"Sorry to bother you, I was actually knocking at this door." She tilted her head at what she presumed to be Jaune's dorm. "Do you know if this is Jaune Arc's room?"
"Jaune?" The girl looked Sable up and down, before her eyes widened in recognition. "Wait, are you one of Jaune's sisters?"
Sable grinned. "Why yes, I am! He's talked about us then? I'm Sable Arc, Jaune's second biggest sister. Are you Jaune's friend?"
"Heh, you can say that. I'm Yang, nice to meet you. We blondes gotta stick together, amirite? He should be in the room. Probably asleep. It's a weekend and they don't get up early." The girl looked down at herself, embarrassed. "Well, neither do I, usually, but I haven't been getting much sleep lately. My partner was kidnapped and they don't where she is and she could be dead and no one knows…" Yang clenched her jaw.
Sable saw, and bit her lip. It was obvious Blake's team cared a lot about her. It didn't seem fair to leave them in the dark. But in the end, it wasn't Sable's decision to make. She'd talk to Blake later.
In the meanwhile, Yang had shaken herself out of her mood. She flashed an easy grin. "Here, let me help you. Put it on Jaune's tab." She raised a fist and banged on the door. "OI! Open up! It's morning! Wake up wake up wake up!"
The door whipped open faster than light. A raven-haired boy with a pink streak in his locks stood, hand ready to shut the door, looking entirely unamused.
"Yang. To what do I owe the pleasure?" The sarcasm was cutting.
"Aw cmon, Ren. You know you love me. Go get your team leader. His sister's here to see him."
Ren's eyes widened. Sable noted with interest that he had pink irises too. The boy looked hesitant and slightly panicked, though it was hard to tell. Sable had practice reading expressions from interacting with Coral. She was her twin after all.
"Ah, that might be. Give me ten minutes. Jaune's a little indisposed right now."
Yang tsked. "None of that. You can't be so indisposed you can't see family. It's nothing she hasn't seen before. She probably helped make him that onesie! Great work by the way, mind if I get a commission for my sis later?" With that casual remarked she pushed open the door with prodigious strength, even as Ren struggled to keep it half-closed.
"Hey Jaune! What's going-oh. Goddammit, I talked to her about this."
Sable couldn't disagree with her reaction. It was the first time she'd seen Jaune in months, and she was happy, but it was colored slightly by the fact that there was a woman in his bed, softly cuddling Jaune's blonde head into her chest.
It had been only six months! Had her baby brother really grown so much?
The blonde head in question, jerked, really he couldn't breathe, thrashed wildly and broke free.
"Pyrrha? What are you-?" Then Jaune saw who was at the door and paled. "Sable?"
Sable smiled. "Little brother. Long time no see. Would you mind some introductions?" She cocked an eyebrow at his redheaded bedmate.
"He-hello. I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me, I-." The redhead's face was as red as her head. "I-" The girl apparently gave up on trying to explain herself and escaped into the bedroom.
"That's Pyrrha. My partner. Not in the romantic way." Jaune looked embarrassed. "I already have a girlfriend. So, I've tried to tell Pyrrha we can't be like that, but she seems to have trouble accepting that. She really likes me, for whatever reason. She's a nice girl though, and a terrific teammate. So don't be too hard on her. She's just going through a phase. She'll be over it."
Indeed. Having trouble accepting was certainly way to put it. Jaune seemed to be quite popular at Beacon. If this kept up, Sable might have to consider implementing Big Sister Protocol No. 11.
"But what are you doing here, Sable? Shouldn't you be in Ansel?"
Sable smiled with an edge at her brother. "Actually, Jaune, I've been in Vale for the past four months. Which you would have known had you not run off without even a word to your sisters and your mother. Do you know how worried we've been?"
"I-"
Sable sighed. "No matter. What's done is done. And I can understand that you felt stifled in Ansel. It's good that you've made friends and found your place here." She leveled a glare at Jaune. "But from now on, none of that. You keep in touch with me. And come see every now and then. I own the coffee shop off Main Street. You can't miss it. You promise to do that, and I'll keep your secret. Though you should really contact home. They won't be as angry as you think." Jaune looked relieved. "Okay. Thanks Sab?" He smiled.
"Anything for my beloved little brother. Now, tell me what you've been up to at Beacon. My brother! A hunter, really! As if I can't still beat you up. You're still my little brother, don't you forget!"
Sable pulled Jaune in for a hug and a noogie.
"Arggh!"
"Stop moving! This is punishment!"
"NoooooO!"
XXXXXXXXXXX
Blake surreptitiously sneaked into Ozpin's office via the window. It had been harder than she'd thought. The elevator up to his office was Aura-locked, and Blake had to find another way. She knew there had to be a different entrance into his office (how else could he just appear out of nowhere the few times she'd gone to his office?) but she'd had no clue where it was.
In the end she'd opted for using Gambol Shroud to zip line herself up the tower to the window, which she'd picked rather easily. Subtlety was the greater part of valor, after all. She just hoped no one saw found a cloaked figure running up the side of the tower. Blake figured her chances were good. No one ever looked up. It was human (and faunus!) nature.
The inside of Ozpin's office was just as she remembered it. The low light gave the clockwork motifs an eerie and serene feel. She found his desk easily in the middle of his office and slipped onto a message she had fashioned in the bathroom detailing all of Cinder's plans.
"Miss Belladonna."
Dammit. She'd been so long on the note too, to make it seem like it'd come from a mysterious benefactor. "The Black Cat" had been such a clever pseudonym, now all gone to waste.
Blake sighed and lifted up her hood. "Headmaster."
"Might I have the pleasure of knowing why you are tiptoeing inside my office when you presumed missing?"
"I escaped from my kidnappers. I thought you might want to know some of their plans. Real important stuff. Could save lives."
Ozpin's sagely eyebrow rose. "Interesting. And they just told you their plans?"
"Uh, well…"
"You are working with Miss Politan, am I correct." Blake held her breath. How had he known? Would he insist on arresting Neo now?
Ozpin sighed. "Please give Miss Politan my condolences on her loss. Professor Candlestick had a troubled past, but I do believe he was trying to put it behind him. Perhaps given more time, he…but that is neither here nor there. I assume this means you won't be returning to Beacon for the semester?"
Blake shook her head. Neo needed her, and she couldn't help if she was stuck in Beacon.
Ozpin sighed again. "I thought so. Very well. I thank you for the information, Miss Belladonna. I assure you we will make good use of it. You are welcome back at Beacon at anytime. Should you need any help in your endeavors, do not hesitate to contact me. Good luck, Miss Belladonna."
Blake smiled gratefully and prepared to leap out the window.
"Oh. Do please try the elevator this time. That window sees a lot of use. It might not survive too many more entrances."
"One last thing," Ozpin said as he held open the elevator for Blake. "Go visit your team and fill them in. They have quite worried for you, your partner especially."
Blake felt a twang of shame as she realized she'd forgotten all about her team with the excitement of being kidnapped, unveiling a conspiracy and finding Neo. She nodded and vowed to drop by when she picked up Sable.
The short jaunt back to Team RW(B)Y(N)'s and Team JNPR's shared hallway was easy. It seemed Sable had gone with Jaune for breakfast together out at the food courts.
That left RWBY and Ren, Pyrrha and Nora getting ready to go for breakfast themselves at the cafeteria. Perfect for a quick drop in. Pop in, tell her friends she was safe and that she was doing something important, and then leave before they could stop her.
Perfect plan. Now all she had to do was execute it. She took a deep breath, opened the door, and-
Wait, was that? Briefly she remembered getting subdued by Cinder and Mercury as Sun looked on, enthralled by whatever Emerald was showing him.
Emerald. The same Emerald who was now sitting in the middle of Team RWBY's dorm with Pyrrha talking with Yang like nothing was the matter.
Blake saw red. "You!"