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"I hate you."

The words fell from her lips with the grace of a raging Ursa but Cardin simply chuckled. He didn't care that she was upset with his teasing not when he was far too amused with her to show mercy. Sitting in the little café that she'd picked out he looked so out of place in the armor he refused to take off especially compared to the simple jacket and jeans she was wearing. Today was the beginning of the finals also known as the day Yang would be manipulated by Emerald's semblance into attacking a downed opponent.

She wasn't worried about her sister. Yang would be fine; she wouldn't meet Adam during the fall causing her to lose an arm. She would be completely fine because she would be with Weiss. The person in the most dangerous would be either Pyrrha who was a prospective maiden or Blake who had her old partner after her. Both of her teammates would be safe, she would do anything to ensure that they survived. They were meant to be safe and sound so she would fight to keep them that way. Cardin would be protecting Blake for her. She trusted him to keep the faunus safe.

"On the upside, your plan worked," he said although she could feel the smirk in his voice. Taking a sip of her tea, she tried to ignore the rush of anger that she felt. Her hidden annoyance didn't change stop him from saying, "pretty sure both Cinder and Mercury have a soft spot for you."

Oh yes, her plan went well. It was truly the best thing that she'd ever thought of. It wasn't like she'd managed to grow fond of them as well. They were amazing and strong. Having them on her side was a boon, so why did she feel so uncomfortable? From the smirk on his face, Cardin knew what she was thinking as well. She didn't need to care about them; they were supposed to be her enemies. They were going to cause the fall of Beacon. She shouldn't care about them. However, she did. Somewhere along the way, it turned from manipulating her way into their hearts to caring about them. They were hers.

"Don't you dare," she warned when she noticed the smirk on his face. Ignoring her warning entirely he didn't hesitate to lean forward.

"On the downside, you have a new crush," he teased.

It wasn't a crush, she just admired how attractive Cinder was. It was weird; the fact she was attracted to dangerous people. Roman was a thief and Neo was just trouble, both were not people that she should fall for. To make things worse, Cinder was the woman who stole the Maiden's power for herself. She was even more dangerous than Roman and Neo, so why? All it took was having her name said in that tone and she turned into nothing but a hormonal teen. It wasn't fair.

"I hate you," she repeated although it was aimed more at herself than him.

"Love you too," he said. He knew that she was confused by her own emotions. It wasn't that hard to see for an empath. Ruby had always been willing to dive into anything and more than that she'd never wanted love. Even during the months, they spent dating she gave him everything without asking for anything in return. That's why her crush on Roman had come as such a shock; he'd never heard her gush about someone as much as she did the thief. When she mentioned Neo as well, he'd almost lost his mind. He'd never felt her emotions so clearly as he did at that moment; now with Cinder, he could feel the same thing. He knew the reason, people like those three could stand beside her without fear. They were strong enough to keep up with her and he wasn't. Watching her sip her tea, he asked, "now what's next."

"Ozpin asks Pyrrha to become the Fall Maiden," she admitted. It was what got Pyrrha killed in the original timeline. Her partner was too good a person to simply walk away when the world needed her. Ozpin took advantage of that.

"You can't kill him," he said cutting off her murderous thoughts before they could fully form. Jaune was right, she cared too much for the people around her but never for herself. She wanted the world only to give it to the people that mattered to her. He refused to let her do something foolish just because she lost her temper. Narrowing his gaze when her lips pulled into a frown he said, "Don't pout, besides going up to his office and throwing a knife at him would be foolish. Keep your cards close to your chest. Don't let your temper overrule your common sense."

"That wouldn't happen," she protested only to wince when his eyes sharpened.

"Don't you dare pretend that you're not controlled by your emotions," he stated although there was no anger in his tone. He knew that she was stronger than him, however, her temper was something she just couldn't control. That was why she killed a White Fang member after all.

Falling silent she looked away from him. It wasn't her fault, not really. This life hadn't given her a reason to learn to control her emotions or stifle what she felt. Even now she didn't want to hide who she was behind a cold façade. She wanted to smile and be happy without fearing what would happen. She wanted to hold the world in her hands and know that it was hers just to say that it was hers. The people in her life cared about her and she would fight for them without hesitation. Smiling at the waiter who brought out the chocolate cake she'd ordered, the reaper never noticed the dark glint in Cardin's eyes nor the way he glared out the window.

(Tyrian)

They'd found a patch of wildflowers. For him it was nothing special, just a bunch of plants however for Eliza they were amazing. The girl had been running around trying to see every single flower since the second they arrived. He supposed it was normal given that she'd never seen flowers like this before but simply watching her was exhausting. She had far too much energy. Even Cora was exhausted although that might have more to do with her constant flinching every time a loud noise was heard. Glancing over to where she rested against a tree, he couldn't help but notice the light reflecting off her hair made it look like the sun.

She was sleeping peacefully for the first time since they'd left the sanctuary she'd created. He hated how worried that he felt about her. It was obvious that she felt none of the wonder that Eliza had for the world. He noticed her fear every time that she looked around. She'd created a sanctuary not just for her daughter but because she hated being vulnerable. That made her weak. Instead of solving her issues, she'd hidden away from the world like a coward. Brushing her hair away from her face, he had no doubt that she would've died if not for being the Winter Maiden.

Her skin felt warm under his touch. Despite being the Winter Maiden, she wasn't a very cold person. Allowing his hand to drift down to her neck, he stilled. His fingers lay gently on her skin allowing him to feel her pulse; it would be easy to kill her. Even when awake she was fragile, breakable, even the slightest touch might shatter her like glass. It was tempting to break her. Resisting the urge to cackle, he moved away from her glancing back to Eliza who was completely absorbed in picking flowers before cutting his gaze to the woods around them. This area was known for having grimm even if it seemed peaceful now.

Turning his attention back to Cora he had to wonder how she would react to learning how easily he could kill. There was no way she would simply accept him when she realized he had so much blood on his hands. He wanted to see it; her expression twisted in terror. Reaching out slowly he laid a hand on her cheek only for his eyes to widen when she leaned into his touch. She was still asleep; however, she was leaning toward him. Just for a moment, he hesitated; her peaceful expression was beautiful.

(Ruby)

Sitting on her bed, she flicked through the articles on the rising grimm population outside the city on her scroll. There was so much happening right now it was almost hard to keep up, but she still noticed when Pyrrha walked into the room with her head down and shoulders slumped like she was carrying the weight of the world, Ruby immediately locked onto her partner's form knowing that Ozpin had indeed offered Pyrrha the position of Fall Maiden. Ruby cursed him for putting her partner in such a dangerous situation.

"Blake can you and Jaune go get some snacks while I talk to Pyrrha," she asked softly although it was clearly an order. Sharing a glance, the two moved almost in sync if not for Jaune almost tripping over his feet. While the action would usually bring a smile to Pyrrha's face this time it did nothing to cheer up the redhead. Pyrrha watched the two leave before looking up into her partner's searching eyes. It was moments like this that she had no idea how to read her partner.

"I don't know what to do," Pyrrha whispered sounding for the first time completely defeated. Even when she went to face Cinder in the original timeline, she'd been bold and determined. Gritting her teeth Ruby barely heard her over the blood boiling in her veins. Why did Ozpin think it was a good idea to force something like this onto Pyrrha? There were plenty of other, older, Maiden candidates in the school. Hands clenched into fists Ruby forced a smile onto her face.

"Tell me everything," Ruby ordered and when Pyrrha hesitated she added, "that's an order as the leader of this team."

It wasn't a guaranteed way to get her teammate to speak, she knew that. Even in the original timeline, Pyrrha had told no one about the Fall Maiden, however, she was hoping that the redhead would trust her enough to tell her everything. Yet this wasn't simply about trust, to tell her Pyrrha would have to disobey Ozpin's orders to keep this a secret. There was a chance that she might choose obedience over her loyalty to the team.

Watching the emotions drift across her partner's face, Pyrrha frowned. Ruby was always so easy to read when she was thinking. She'd been watching her partner for a long time along with the others on their team. It wasn't a stretch to say that Ruby schemed every moment of the day. The younger girl was always pushing forward an agenda from simply plotting her and Blake's love life to sneaking off with Cardin. If it wasn't for the fact the boy was dating Russel, she would've believed they were together, yet Ruby was plotting something. She didn't know everything about her leader, but she did know that when no one was looking Ruby would give them glances as if she was afraid of something. It had only been when Jaune confronted her about killing that she actually figured out what those glances meant. Ruby was the youngest on their team, it was easy to forget that when she stood out as a prodigy.

Pyrrha had always been a tournament fighter, yet when she fought that woman on the train, she'd lost due to her own habits. It wasn't the fact she lost that upset her, it was that even when she was losing all she'd wanted to do was try something different despite being afraid to. She was a coward stuck in her own bad habits because that was all she was supposed to be. Her family wanted a prized fighter especially after she'd shown her talent for it. After that, she became what they wanted until she learned that Beacon would take her in.

Ruby had known who she was. She'd seen that knowledge in the girl's silver eyes when she spoke to her, however, she'd treated her like she was her friend, not an idol. Ruby was the reason she was in a relationship with Jaune. So why was it when she saw Blake kill someone to save the girl that she had no idea what to do. There was part of her that wished she'd been the one to protect Ruby instead because she'd done nothing to keep her safe. She'd done nothing while Ruby had done so much for her and she had no idea how she was supposed to repay her leader.

At this moment all Ruby was asking was the truth, she had no idea how she was supposed to give her that truth without betraying the trust that Ozpin put in her, however, she didn't really care. Not only had it been suspicious the way he dragged her up to his office but both the General and Ruby's father were there. If anything, then, Ruby deserved to know about something that concerned her family, plus she was sure that the girl already knew something. At this point, she trusted Ruby far more than she trusted Ozpin. Nodding she began to tell her leader everything that had happened. Reciting every word and action that she remembered. She even mentioned the strained relationship between Qrow and the others of Ozpin's faction.

Ruby listened to her partner silently taking everything in with a calculating gaze. She already knew about Amber and the Maidens but hearing Pyrrha speak about it in such a defeated voice made her blood boil. She wanted to shout and scream until the entire world bent to her will. It wasn't fair that Pyrrha had such a heavy burden pushed toward her. As the girl finished speaking and looked up at her leader she was shocked to see the cold fury in Ruby's silver eyes. She'd never anything like it before, like harden pools of silver filled with rage. Then the expression was gone as if she'd hid it completely.

"Thank you for telling me," she said brightly. There might be a smile on her face, but Ruby's eyes were cold. Her leader was angry, so angry that she felt nothing but terror at the expression. Why was she so angry when she wasn't the one getting used? Pyrrha had no idea why but her leader's expression wasn't just terrifying, but it was also reassuring. She knew that Ruby would never hurt her but now she also knew her leader would fight for her too.

"Wh-"

"I promise not to do anything rash," she said softly. She wasn't going to attack Ozpin. It wouldn't help her or her teammates if she did so. The only thing she could do now was to protect them in her own way.

Three hours later, Ruby walked into the training room and grinned when she saw Weiss practicing her glyphs. The white-haired girl had several hovering in front of her at one time and given the thin layer of sweat covering her forehead she had been at it for a long time. Looking up the heiress immediately noticed the difference in the fellow leader; Ruby's eyes were cold like steel. However, that wasn't the only thing wrong with her, she also had tense shoulders and a predatory walk it made Weiss's hair stand on end.

"Want to practice," Ruby asked the other girl and the heiress wanted desperately to say no but her pride wouldn't let her back down from a challenge. Besides that if Ruby let off some steam then it was possible, she would calm down before the matches tomorrow.

"Aren't you supposed to save your strength for your match," Weiss asked but Ruby shook her head. She was too angry to stay calm right now.

"Come on Weiss just one spar," she pleaded she needing to work off some of her anger. Seeing the dark-haired girl press her hands together as she begged the older girl for a fight. Ruby wasn't a good person, Weiss knew that, but she also knew Ruby needed this. The heiress nodded reluctantly and barely had time to block Thorn as the girl rushed forward it was nice to know Ruby was still good at sneak attacks. Eyes narrowing Weiss pushed the girl back although there was a part of her that wondered what the younger girl was thinking. It was all she could do to keep up as Ruby rushed around the training room like a demon leaving red petals everywhere, she went. Creating gravity glyphs around her she smirked when Ruby was caught and couldn't move.

Ruby took the hit from Weiss's rapier allowing the hit to send her flying but before she hit the wall, she twisted so that she could bounce off and go flying at the heiress again. Weiss countered the hit with a dust shield before stabbing at the girl's chest. She expected the girl to dodge instead, Ruby grabbed the blade in her hand and pulled. Weiss watched in disbelief as her sword was taken easily although the fact, she might've let go had something to do with it. Before she began panicking at the sight of Ruby holding a sharp blade in her hand.

"Ruby," she scolded rushing forward to check on the girl. Slapping the girl's hand, like a disobedient puppy, so she would drop the rapier Weiss didn't even care as her weapon hit the floor. The reaper was more important than her weapon. Checking over the girl she began to scold her again, "of all the reckless thing you could do you choose to grab a sharp blade? What if you'd gotten hurt?"

Ruby watched the white-haired girl closely. There was such open concern on her face that she knew it was real. Weiss was honestly worried about her. Unable to stop herself Ruby laughed causing the other girl to jot. Staring at the younger girl who had just barely covered her mouth to stop the chuckles, Weiss felt her face begin to heat up from embarrassment. Looking away from the younger girl she didn't notice Ruby smirk until the reaper had sheathed her dagger and pulled the heiress into a hug. She'd never expected Weiss could be an overprotective mother hen.

"Thank you," she whispered before Weiss could protest the action. The shocked heiress returned the hug hesitantly as if she'd never had one before. Burying her face in the girl's shoulder Ruby wished she could stop time and simply stay here in this moment with her teammates and friends.

(Ozpin)

He'd tried for years to be a good man, but he'd sacrificed so many that it was hard to see the good in anything anymore. So, he'd dedicated his life to killing his wife and he hated that it had gotten to this point. There were times when he thought that if he'd just stayed a little longer then he could've saved her. There were others that he wished he'd never taken the deal from the gods. In this era, those doubts were all too loud. His greatest allies were determined by years of peace and couldn't compare to the strength their ancestors had. Peace had made these people weak.

Lionheart was weak in both mind and emotion. The man would most likely give up the entire world if it meant saving himself. If it came down to it the only person the man wouldn't sacrifice was most likely his son, however, his son was a huntsman who only cared about himself. As a victim of one of the last attempts of expansion, Carnel Lionheart had lost his entire team making him one of the most experienced and reclusive hunters in Mistral. He was also on a ten-month mission to the grimmlands without backup and no way of contacting him.

James had no idea how to control his own paranoia leading to him bringing an entire army to Vale, his city. He wanted to kill the man. It occurred to him now that he should perhaps choose his generals more carefully. He should never have made James a headmaster, it had been a mistake. Worse the man now wanted to bring not only Winter Schnee but also an entire team of agents in on the secret. He honestly didn't know if James even realized how paranoid he actually was or how foolish the idea of bringing in new agents was.

Theodore from Shade was his most loyal general and he was in Vacuo. What made him the most loyal was the fact he would never do anything to put his children in danger. By his children, he meant all the children in Shade Academy. Theodore, who hated being called Theo, considered every child in Shade his responsibility. It was a responsibility that he took very seriously as well. He was considering proposing a student exchange program with Vacuo after this Vytal festival.

Glynda was Glynda the only person he trusted. That was why she was his right hand in everything. He would always protect her if not for any reason other than because she reminded him of the woman Salem was before he died. He cared about her more than he should. Years ago, when they met, she'd signed up to join him without hesitation.

Qrow was both his biggest mistake and his biggest ally. It was his fault Summer was dead, he didn't bother hiding that fact at all. He'd made far more mistakes than anyone alive and Summer was one of those mistakes. That was why he wanted to kill Salem so that no more people were killed for the sake of this battle. With Qrow beside him, he saw the mistake he made in sending Summer out into the field all those days ago. Now he had the daughter of two of his strongest generals as his student and he knew that he couldn't trust her.

If he could then she wouldn't be walking into his office with that ice-cold look in her eyes. Leaning back in his chair as her eyes flickered to his, he knew immediately that her teammate had told her everything about the Fall Maiden. If he was a lesser man, he would feel terrified at having her here in his office with that expression on her face that could make an ocean freeze. Summer had the exact same expression on her face when he mentioned turning Qrow and Raven into birds. He had no idea if tiny women should be this terrifying but there was one in every lifetime.

"I expected you would be arriving, and I expected you to try killing me," he said as she frowned at him from her spot beside the elevator door. The grip she had on her dagger was worrying but he knew that she wouldn't attack him. Not when she had too much to lose because of it.

"What gave me away," she asked softly. The grip on her dagger tightened as she considered putting it through his throat.

"I've known many young women like you," he admitted. In all his lifetimes he'd met people like her and every one of them was far more dangerous than the grimm. In truth, he would rather be on her good side than have that blade in her hand tear out his neck. Leaning forward he smirked causing her eyes to narrow as he said, "the one thing they all had in common was that they only fought for those they cared for. Anyone that threatened them was either killed or converted. I'm far too old for you to convert. It's simply in your nature. Your DNA to destroy what you see as a threat."

Everything he said was true. There was no other way to describe her actions here tonight. Even after Cardin had warned her, she'd still come up here to threaten him away from Pyrrha. It was the only thing she could think to do. She wanted to rip him into pieces. He knew that she was a bloodthirsty insane girl, but he still allowed her to come to this school. For that reason, only she would allow him to live, but the moment he made a move toward what she considered hers she would kill him. Rip out his throat and burn the body to keep people from finding out.

"Find a different Maiden, Pyrrha isn't going to die for you."

There it was the darkened tone to her voice promising death that he knew so well. Her mother had the same tone and so did her grandmother and all the Silver Eyed Warriors before her. In the stories told, it wasn't only the grimm that the warriors posed a threat to. It was anyone they deemed a threat to their loved ones. She wasn't bluffing, she would kill him the second she got a chance. Staring into her lightly glowing silver eyes he nodded slowly. Watching her spin on her heel and walk away he hid a smirk. She was strong, and she would be the one to end this war against Salem.

So that happened. What did you guys think of the look into Pyrrha's mind?

Anyway totally unrelated question what do you guys think would've happened if Ruby left home at the end of V3 alone rather than with the remains of team JNPR?

Stay safe and have a good day

- Shyla