New chapter below! Usual disclaimer, RWBY is not mine.
XXX
The week passed fairly quickly, though neither Winter nor Qrow seemed to really notice. Winter had spent her days assisting Ironwood with preparations for the meeting, Qrow had spent his days trying to contact any Huntsmen and Huntresses in the Brotherhood through any means necessary, and each night the two met up to go over what they knew, what their next step would be, what they had missed. Winter showed Qrow the beat-up book by Dr. Merlot, and she continued to pour over its pages with vigor and with Qrow at her side, trying to find some connection between Salem and the Grimm.
Winter also tried to keep in close contact with Weiss throughout the week, especially after the mess of the Schnee party and White Fang attack. Jacques Schnee was lying low after the ruined party, and Weiss was spending her newfound freedom with Ruby, Jaune, Nora, and Ren. Winter hadn't received the full details as to what the group of students was up to, but she didn't pry either. Weiss had also explained that she was still returning to the manor most days to check up on their mother; evidently, Willow Schnee was concerned by the attack and hadn't even spoken with Jacques since before the party, so Weiss was left reassuring her. Winter didn't want Weiss to be left solely responsible for their mother, but with how busy she was with the upcoming meeting, and her current feelings towards their mother, Winter left that issue alone as well.
Neither Qrow nor Winter found themselves able to talk about the 'Penny bots', as Qrow had dubbed them, since they were almost always on the Atlas military base. Winter was always on base, and General Ironwood kept her close by throughout the entire week. Qrow was busy too, sending letters and messages to other Hunters, combing the city for any leads on the remaining White Fang or Salem's associates, and helping Ironwood figure out a way for Huntsmen and Huntresses unable to attend to use holograms, so they could still participate in the meeting; this venture proved to be a dead-end however, with the CCT still down. Qrow and Winter tried to work around their schedules to share information, but they were only able to meet up at night for short periods of time, and Winter had not been able to leave the grounds.
The 'Penny bots' had unnerved Winter when she first discovered them, and Qrow was equally disturbed, if not angry as well. To him, it felt like a slap in the face. Not only did he find it unethical and questionable, given what he knew of Ironwood's Aura transfer system, but the discovery of Penny's true nature was a major factor of the Grimm invasion during the Fall of Beacon.
Qrow had wanted to talk to Winter about it, but the week was one fast whirlwind.
Qrow wanted to bring up the issues with James too, but that posed even more problems.
For one, he doubted James would want to hear his opinion on anything Atlas related. They'd already gone at each other many months before, when Ironwood had introduced Atlas' new system that could transfer Aura. If James was still ordering these 'Penny bots', he hadn't changed his mind, despite Penny's death and the issues with Pyrrha Nikos and the Fall Maiden.
And more importantly, Winter had shared this information with Qrow, probably when she wasn't supposed to. She had mentioned that the General was finally allowing her to view rather classified Atlas projects. If word got out that she had revealed anything to Qrow, she could be fired. Or even arrested. And that was the best case scenario.
So for now, Qrow would keep his mouth shut. If only because he already had enough world-ending problems that took priority.
Now, Qrow and Winter were sitting across from each other on a quiet train that slipped across the Solitas tundra. They had both been pretty quiet, but Qrow found no shame in finding the silent company of Winter peaceful. They seemed to understand each other fairly well nowadays. Winter no longer held her title of 'Atlesian Specialist' over his head and in return, Qrow only made fun of her for the hell of it, instead of purposefully trying to piss her off. Which seemed fair enough to him.
Weiss had joined them as well, though Ruby, Jaune, Nora, and Ren had stayed back in the city. To his surprise, Winter had asked him, Qrow of all people, if Weiss could come along to spend time with their grandfather. Qrow didn't know why Winter wanted his permission - surely she should go to Jimmy for that - but he had simply shrugged and said, "Why not?"
Weiss now sat in the aisle seat by Winter, composed though clearly a little more anxious than her elder sister. Her gaze darted around more, and she kept looking to Winter, who seemed to be lost in her own thoughts.
"It will be nice to see Grandfather again," Weiss finally said in an attempt to break the silence.
"Yes, it will," Winter agreed, though she was still gazing out the window with an unfocused look in her eyes.
"You will let me know how the meeting goes as well," Weiss added on, her voice growing in strength. Winter nodded, turning her head a bit to smile at Weiss. Qrow narrowed his eyes. There was still something off.
Qrow sighed loudly, the noise practically echoing in the empty train car, and slouched down in his seat, picking his legs up to rest right on the opposite seat, right next to Winter. Winter's head jerked down and she stared at his shoes for a moment before snapping her head to him. He raised an eyebrow.
"What is wrong with you, Qrow?" she asked in annoyance. Weiss raised an eyebrow too, leaning forward to stare at Qrow, then at the feet resting beside Winter. She didn't say anything however, though she did roll her eyes.
"Nothin'. Just tired," he explained with a shrug.
"Well, perhaps you should have gotten sleep last night, considering you knew how important this day is."
"Why? You worried about it?" He stared at her, no sarcasm or joking in his tone. She seemed taken aback by his seriousness, which didn't surprise him.
"I think I'll go explore the other cars. I believe there is a dining car," Weiss said slowly, moving out of her seat. Winter reached out a hand and grabbed her sister's wrist.
"You don't have to leave."
"It's ok," Weiss assured her.
"But-,"
"Beat it, kid," Qrow said, and Weiss nodded, smiling at her sister, before exiting the car. When Winter turned back to him, Qrow made sure to smooth his face of any hint of a smile. Even if her furious eyes made him want to burst out laughing.
"What the hell, Qrow?" Winter burst out. "What is with you today?!"
"I wanted to ask you if something was going on," he said. "You seemed dazed. You were practically ignoring Weiss."
"Just because I wasn't feeling particularly conversational does not mean I was trying to ignore Weiss," Winter argued.
"I know," Qrow eased. "I didn't mean anything like that."
"So you think something is wrong with me then?" Winter crossed her arms, tapping a finger against her jacket. Qrow had the sudden feeling he might have dug himself into a hole.
"No-,"
"You think you have the right to send Weiss away? Or talk to me about my problems over my sister?" The tapping got faster.
"...Ah, maybe I started this wrong." Qrow rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. He reached for the flask at his belt, then stopped himself. "I just wanted to know if you wanted to talk. You did seem a bit dazed, that's all. And I know this past week has been crazy, and you didn't get much of a break after the Schnee Mansion Fiasco."
That calmed Winter down, and she relaxed her position. Qrow felt himself relax too.
"You owe Weiss an apology," Winter told him.
"Course."
"And I apologize for overreacting."
"You're fine."
After a moment of quiet, Winter spoke up again. "How have you been? Have you been worried about the meeting?"
"You know, I was the one asking you."
"I know. And I have not been worried about the meeting, I assure you. Considering what you and I have been through, and what we know of Salem, a simple meeting is not going to make me blanche." She sat up straighter. "If anything, I'm more worried about what comes after the meeting. It feels as though we're fast approaching a time where action will be necessary, but we still don't have enough information to do anything."
"I know. I feel the same way," Qrow said, shifting his eyes downward. Oh, how that thought kept him awake for so many nights. "But we'll figure it out."
"Yes," Winter agreed. "Even if it means we have to fight Salem head-on with no plan."
"I'd be willing to, if anybody knew what she was and where she hides," Qrow muttered.
"Yes, if only we had a portal that would take us to her immediately," Winter said with a soft chuckle. Something nagged at Qrow, clicking into place. Portals …
No, he shook his head. It wouldn't work for a number of reasons. But perhaps, he would keep that thought for a last resort plan.
"And there is the matter … of how much we'll tell the Brotherhood members," Winter brought up. "We haven't shared everything with the General, and he will be there."
"We do the same as before. We give them as much information as possible, without risking anyone we know. That includes keeping a few things to ourselves," Qrow said. Winter looked away.
"I feel horrible lying to the General," she said. Qrow understood. He asked a lot of her, and he had put her in a position that forced her to lie and act deceitful while on the job. He would feel worse if Remnant wasn't in peril. And he guessed that this was only one of a number of issues that Winter was actually worried about.
When they arrived at the facility, there was a light snowfall outside, and despite the coat he wore, Qrow could feel the cold on him. Winter and Weiss seemed less bothered, their attention on the building itself rather than the snow. Vale and Patch certainly got their cold days, even snow, but not to the extent of Atlas. And Atlas' cities were much warmer than its wilderness, with Dust-powered heaters set up around buildings, streetlamps, and railways. Qrow wondered if the sisters were naturally used to the cold after living so many years in Atlas.
When they entered the Clementine Moore Facility, Qrow immediately noticed there was hardly anyone around. Just two lone women, probably nurses, watching them coldly from the desk. Probably not happy they're playing host to a group of Hunters, Qrow thought.
"We're here for General Ironwood's meeting," Winter said upon approaching the nurses. Her tone allowed for no argument. She sounded official, professional, and confident.
"And I'm here to visit Nicholas Schnee," Weiss added. The nurses glanced at each other with unreadable expressions, then one stepped forward to lead Weiss to Nicholas' room. The other stayed behind, eyeing Qrow and Winter.
"Follow me. Your comrades are meeting in our main lounge area," she said stiffly, barely walking more than 10 feet before opening a pair of double doors into the lounge.
For a small, nursing facility in the middle of nowhere, Qrow was surprised to find that the lounge was actually quite spacious. An area to his left had a group of couches around a sleek, silver coffee table and a roaring fire beside it, the small bits of Dust glinting in the firelight. He assumed the rest of the room was usually set up in a similar fashion, probably with comfy sofas, tables to play cards at, and a small dining area. Today, however, a large table took up the center of the room, with chairs placed around its entirety. A number of those chairs were already occupied, though a few were still empty.
General Ironwood already sat at one, nodding to Qrow and Winter as they arrived. He seemed calm, though his shoulders were tense, prepared for something to happen. To James' right sat a middle-aged Huntsman with dark blue-silver hair, alabaster skin, and narrow eyes. Despite his stern appearance, Qrow knew his personality did not match. Like many of the others around the table, Qrow recognized him. He noticed though that Winter's eyes roamed, and remembered that this was her first official meeting with Brotherhood members.
"That's Hickory Bronzewing," he muttered under his breath. Winter stood straighter, eyes widening a fraction. Clearly she had heard of him before. Qrow was a little surprised. Hickory hailed from Atlas as well, but unlike Winter and Jimmy, he was one of the few who became a Huntsman that held no affiliation or allegiance to the Atlesian military. Surprisingly, he and James still got along quite well. But then, Ori was naturally a friendly and casual sort of guy, if a strange one.
And he apparently could hear pretty well too.
"Please, Qrow," he said, though he was smiling in a very amused fashion. The man turned his gaze to Winter. "You may call me 'Ori', lovely lady." Qrow caught the hint of pink in Winter's cheek and practically snickered. Ori waved them towards the table.
"Take your seats, please. We're still waiting for 3 more, I believe. And we can all introduce ourselves to the newest member." He nodded at Winter.
"Winter is not an official member of the Brotherhood," James chimed in. Qrow couldn't tell if he sounded annoyed or simply matter-of-fact.
So he decided to make sure that James was definitely annoyed.
"Yet," Qrow added with a confident grin. James' eyes narrowed as he glared at Qrow, who simply looked back at him with as much of an innocent expression as he could muster. Winter either didn't notice or chose to ignore them, and she slid gracefully into an open chair, Qrow taking the one to her right.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Bronzewing," Winter mentioned, ever the polite and cordial one. "I've heard many stories of your achievements."
"Again, Ori. I prefer it, and my full name is too formal sounding." Ori inclined his head towards her. "A pleasure to meet Winter Schnee as well. I've heard the stories about you as well." Winter smiled proudly and bowed her head. "While we wait, let us introduce you to the others. Merle is the friendly chap over there." Ori waved at an elderly man with brown hair, peach skin, and deep wrinkles sitting two seats down from James. "From Vale, just like Qrow. Veteran Huntsman, very talented, hell of a Semblance. A living legend, truly."
"You're going a little over the top," Qrow said wryly.
"Very," Merle agreed, smiling widely. "Though I have been in the business awhile. I've known many of these men and women most of that time too. Including Professor Ozpin."
"We've also got Chan Meas, a professor of Sanctum Academy in Mistral," Qrow said, gesturing at the woman across the table from them. She had dark eyes that lifted at the corners, pale freckled skin, and dark hair that shone midnight blue under the lights. Her attire of draping fabrics was very formal, though Qrow imagined she hid her favorite knives beneath the garments.
"Hello," Professor Chan said smoothly. Winter nodded in return.
"Zap Currant," Qrow continued, pointing at a woman a couple chairs down from Chan. She had warm brown skin and wore bright workout clothes. An electric blue lightning bolt was dyed into her short hair, an homage to her name.
"Charmed." Zap grinned, but it was a wild look that made her look dastardly. "I'm basically Mistral's version of Qrow Branwen there. I do all the secret missions and dirty work."
"Zap," Chan Meas warned.
"What? We're all members, more or less."
"I would say less for some." Qrow expected Chan's less than subtle comment to make Winter bristle, but she didn't react.
Zap waved Chan's jab away dismissively, then gestured to the woman sitting between herself and the Sanctum professor. "And this is Kendall Sidian." The silent Huntress had barely moved, but she lifted her head now, her curtain of dark hair falling back to reveal an oval, dusky brown face that was expressionless. Qrow thought he might have heard Winter make a noise of surprise, but he couldn't be sure. He was only half-paying attention, instead focused on the same thing he assumed Winter had noticed.
Kendall's silver eyes.
"A pleasure to meet you as well," Winter intoned. Kendall nodded, but stayed silent. Again, Winter didn't ask any questions; Qrow figured she was choosing to observe the other members considering she wasn't an official member of the Brotherhood.
Still, even Qrow was curious about Kendall's history. He only knew bits and pieces.
And it was still a punch to the gut every time he saw her eyes.
They were so similar to Summer's. The two were around the same age as well.
There was loud noise from outside the room that shook Qrow from his thoughts, followed by laughter and the excited stomping of boots. Qrow sighed, along with half of the other members. Winter shot him an inquiring look.
"Vacuo's here," he muttered. Just as the words left his lips, the doors burst open, shoved aside by two Hunters, a young man and woman that couldn't have been older than Winter, both dressed in a dusty array of jackets, pants, fingerless gloves, and scarves that looked as if they'd gone through the apocalypse. They shared the same tawny, tanned skin; Qrow always had a hard time discerning whether it was their true complexion or they were just covered in sand and dirt. Truly, the two Hunters both looked as if they'd just fought a Deathstalker in the middle of the desert. Considering what he knew of the Vacuo twins, Qrow would not have been surprised.
"Sorry we're late!" The young woman said with a wide grin. She did not act sorry in the slightest.
"We're not late," her brother commented. "Everyone else just got here early."
"These two are … interesting," Winter murmured under her breath. She raised an eyebrow too. "And they're Faunus." The young woman had dirty blond hair with choppy bangs and dark streaks of black that was pulled into a messy bun, but her wild hair was not her only prominent feature. A long, black and white streaked tail lashed behind her. And when her brother turned his head, a pair of tiny, round ears was barely visible through his curly brown hair.
"Yeah, course. The Brotherhood includes Huntsmen and Huntresses from every kingdom. Bound to get some who are Faunus." Qrow shrugged. "Meet Miriam and Clint Roo."
"I'll be damned." Miriam was now staring at Winter, long tail lashing back and forth. "A Schnee."
"An astute observation," Winter said wryly. Qrow tensed, but the Roo twins looked more curious than anything. There didn't appear to be any hostility towards Winter.
"Are you the newest member of the group?" Miriam wondered aloud as the two strolled forward, flopping into chairs off to Qrow's right.
"I'm here because I have information to share," Winter replied.
"Huh," Clint said.
"Bizarre," Miriam added. "Not sure it's the strangest thing we've seen though."
"Now," Ironwood cut in, "We are just missing one." Clint's ears perked up, and Miriam shot a curious look at James.
"Oh? But she's -," Clint began, only to be interrupted as the doors once again blew open with a heavy slam. Qrow now understood why the nurses didn't seem pleased to play host to their ragtag group.
The click of heels somehow sounded loud even on carpet, and Qrow had no idea how she managed to do that.
But in strolled Glynda Goodwitch, looking as fierce and formidable as always.
"I'd say it's a pleasure to see everyone, but we weren't called here to mingle." Glynda sniffed. "Hello, Qrow. James." Her sharp, green eyes roved over each of them. She gave Qrow a nod, but simply blinked at James before taking a seat right next to him. James, on the other hand, coughed and turned a shade paler. Qrow didn't think he'd ever seen him so jittery. "I believe we may begin now."
"Looks like it." Qrow nodded.
"I invited Taiyang, but he said he couldn't make it. He wanted to stay in Patch to wait for Yang," Glynda said. The words almost slipped by Qrow, then his brow furrowed, and he raised his head to look at Glynda.
"What do you mean, 'wait for Yang'?" he asked. The fact that Taiyang almost came was a bit of a surprise, but he hadn't heard anything from his teammate in months, and he had no idea what Yang was up to. He thought she was at home, considering the last time he saw her she was still stuck in bed, staring out the window glumly. Not that he blamed her.
"I didn't receive details," Glynda said, fixing the frame of her glasses. "But from my understanding she's not at home anymore. I presume she left the house." Qrow nodded, staring down at his hands. Now wasn't the time to worry about it, but still … where had Yang gone?
Qrow felt something lightly hit his foot, and he glanced over to his left. Winter's gaze was fixed on Glynda, but he saw her move her foot, and knew she had tapped him as some kind of comfort. He recalled doing the same to her when they had visited the diner in Mantle.
"Is everyone now here? May we begin?" Professor Chan drawled.
"This isn't the entire Brotherhood," Merle said, a hint of worry in his tone. "And above all, Ozpin isn't here with us."
"Neither is Leo," Ori added. Qrow tensed at the mention of Leo, but didn't add anything. To the best of his knowledge, Leo had disappeared off the face of Remnant after Haven's attack.
"This is all who can make it," said Qrow with a brief nod.
"I guess we should start then," James said, leaning forward and clasping his hands together. "We asked you here because Remnant is in danger, and the enemy that we've long been told about is becoming a much more prominent threat than ever before."
"The Fall of Beacon was her first major move," Qrow added. "Salem is the one behind the Grimm attack and the death of the Fall Maiden, and she's just getting started."
"This has been the case for a long time. This information is nothing new to us," a smooth, melodic voice chimed in, and Qrow saw everyone start as Kendall Sidian interrupted. She pressed her fingers together, eyes focused on her hands. She looked like she was trying to solve a puzzle. "I want to know what has changed. Especially considering that you, Qrow, were the one to call this meeting." All eyes were now on him as every head swiveled to stare at him. Qrow leaned back, meeting Kendall's opalescent gaze.
"For the past few months, since the Fall of Beacon, I've continued on my mission from Ozpin. With help from Winter Schnee."
"If only Ozpin were still here," Merle sighed.
"Has he reincarnated, Qrow?" Glynda's eyes bored into him. Qrow smirked. Sharp as ever. She never missed anything.
"Yes." He nodded.
"What!" Zap slammed her hands on the table.
"Of course he has." Ori nodded, head bobbing up and down. "Makes sense."
"Don't get your hopes up. He has no memory," Qrow informed them. A low murmuring filled the room. "That's one part of my long story. One of Salem's associates found us and stole Oz's cane." Qrow saw Glynda's eyes widened, then she looked away. He could only imagine how frustrated she was. He had no idea what each of these Hunters had been up to, but he did know Glynda had spent the past several months holding Vale together by herself.
Qrow spent the next half hour or so explaining what he had been up to since the Fall of Vale. Winter chimed in with her own experiences and other important parts of the story. They mentioned that Ozpin was currently with the Spring Maiden. They also mentioned meeting the Winter Maiden, but chose not to include her name or what she was currently doing.
Qrow did not mention Ruby or any of her friends' involvement, and he noticed that aside from the talking about the incident at Schnee manor, Winter didn't mention Weiss.
"Wow." Zap let out a heavy breath, slumping back in her chair. "That's a lot to take in."
"It looks like we can't rely on Ozpin anymore," Merle added on sadly.
"Or Leo, wherever he is," Chan murmured.
"If Leo really is a traitor, we're better off." Ori shrugged. "And he's the least of our worries. The White Fang has proven to be in allegiance with Salem many times. They've been outwitted and outnumbered just as many times, but they're a large organization. It's tough to say whether we've seen the last of them." Miriam and Clint glanced at each other, sharing knowing looks.
"The note that the Maiden gave you," Merle said, turning to face Qrow. "It mentioned that Ozpin didn't want to be found. And that the Fall Maiden would wake back up."
"Right." Qrow nodded, shifting his eyes to Glynda.
"If your look is meant to ask whether I know of Cinder Fall's status, I'm afraid I have disappointing news." Glynda sighed. "I don't know. She could still be stuck on top of Beacon's tower, but she could also be gone. The truth is, as much as I've been able to do for Vale, that tower is still untouchable. The frozen Grimm on top of the tower keeps drawing Grimm, and there's no end."
"So Cinder Hall is a possible enemy once again," Ori noted. "The White Fang, however dismantled they may be, is another. And Salem has who knows how many secret players in this game." He played with his cuff link, twisting the end of his sleeve back and forth. "And so remains the large question - what do we do?"
The room fell into silence. Qrow leaned back, watching everyone else. He had his own ideas, but he wanted to hear the others out first. He couldn't save Remnant on his own.
"I think before we make any decisions, we should all agree on whether or not to share this news with the world," Glynda said. The others nodded readily. "I shall begin by saying that as much as I'd like to give the people of Remnant some warning, I think it will work against us. The kingdoms are in very fragile states right now."
"Agreed," Ironwood said. Ori glanced his way with a raised eyebrow, but said nothing.
"I would prefer that as well." Chan nodded. Zap simply shrugged, and Kendall remained silent, though she looked thoughtful.
"Are you kidding? We should warn our kingdoms!" Miriam exclaimed.
"If the kingdoms are already in danger of splitting or worse, now might be the only chance we get," Clint pointed out. "This is part of Salem's plan, isn't it? She's probably hoping we don't tell everyone."
"We need to tell our people," Miriam said vehemently.
"And when you tell your people that there is a powerful creator of the Grimm who is set to destroy the world they know, how do you think they'll take it?" Chan asked coldly.
"I think Vacuo knows how to survive and beat the odds," Miriam countered.
"You know our rules though," Merle said quietly. "If the majority agrees it is safer to keep our secrets, you cannot share them with anyone in your kingdom. One kingdom knowing such things would create a horrible imbalance across Remnant." Qrow frowned at Merle's words. Imbalance. Hmph. We're already there, he thought sourly.
Miriam's lip twisted into a scowl, but she sat back in her chair, conceding the point.
"Then we keep the secret. At least for now." Ironwood nodded, shooting a glance at Qrow. Qrow just shrugged his shoulders at Jimmy. He imagined old James expected him to make some kind of fuss, but Qrow wanted to get to the main matter at hand.
"Soooo…. Defeating Salem….," Zap trailed off.
"Killing her at the source is our best bet," Glynda said.
"Not that we know how to kill her," Zap muttered. Miriam and Clint murmured their agreements.
"Perhaps now is when we employ the Maidens," Ori offered. "They do each carry a remnant of magic from centuries ago."
"It's definitely a possibility," Ironwood allowed.
"Maybe." Qrow frowned. "But if that were the case, why wouldn't Oz ask them that to kill Salem years ago?"
"I mean, there is still the issue of finding Salem," Chan said. "She exists in her own world."
"But if the Grimm come from the same world, and they're able to appear on Remnant, there must be a way to reach Salem's world," Winter argued, speaking up for the first time. Qrow almost felt proud to see her argue her point.
"I agree with Ms. Schnee," Kendall said. The room quieted again, as if Kendall's words were a wave of calm and silence. "Salem has some connection to the Grimm, and whatever it may be, perhaps the answer could very well be the power of those with silver-eyes." She waved a hand at her own face. Glynda narrowed her eyes, her gaze flashing to Winter, and then to Qrow.
"This is about Merlot, isn't it?" she asked.
"Dr. Merlot?!" Merle's eyes widened, the deep wrinkles around his eyes stretching with surprise.
"Yes," Winter stated. "I found a book containing his research in the Atlas library, and he theorized that the Grimm came from another world that was separated from our own."
"But unless that book also contains a way to reach that world, or any hard evidence worth mentioning, I'm afraid it doesn't help us," Glynda said. She sounded harsh, but Qrow knew she was right.
"If we're able to interrogate one of Salem's associates, we might be able to get an answer as to how to find Salem," Ironwood mused. Qrow stiffened a bit, and he swore some of the other members grimaced. The idea in and of itself wasn't necessarily a bad one, but Qrow wondered about James' methods of interrogation …
"That is certainly one of our options," Chan agreed.
"The Maidens may be another," Kendall said. "We may be missing a piece of their story. If their magic came from Professor Ozpin's past self, perhaps it plays a part in finding Salem."
"Another good thought," Glynda said. "But still hard to prove."
"If only Ozpin could remember," Merle said sadly.
"He won't unless we get his cane back," Qrow grumbled, kicking the leg of the table. "Chances are though that little brat I ran into took it to Salem as fast as possible."
"We set a trap then," Zap suggested. Her brown eyes glittered with something akin to excitement. "We allow someone on our side to be taken to Salem's world." The entire room froze at her suggestion, but Qrow could see the thoughtful consideration on their faces. Some of the others were considering the idea.
"It could work, but we would need someone that Salem wants alive," Glynda reminded her.
"Duh. We use the Maidens." Zap shrugged.
"No." Qrow and Winter said at the same time. James shot them a suspicious glance, eyes narrowing.
"Why not?" He asked.
"We're here to protect the Maidens. We can't force them to do this. It could easily get them killed," Qrow argued.
"Then we just ask them," Zap fired back.
"I'm afraid I agree with Qrow on this," Glynda put in. "Perhaps we could broach the topic with them, but I do not think it would be right to force them to do this. Not if we have other options."
"We might not," Clint muttered.
"Salem would want Ozpin," Kendall said, her low voice managing to carry across the table. Again, everyone paused, mulling over the new idea. Even Qrow stopped to think about it. It was incredibly dangerous, it would give Salem the one person she had been trying to kill for years … and yet …
"It might work," he said. He could feel Winter's eyes on him. He understood her shock. Qrow was surprised at himself too.
"You said yourself, Salem will only go after someone she deems worthy. Someone who is important enough to capture her attention," Kendall continued. "Perhaps the Maidens would accomplish the same thing, but Ozpin is certainly someone Salem could not ignore. Especially in his current state. He would be an easy mark."
"Which is what makes the idea dangerous." Glynda's face tightened, and James looked equally wary.
"It is," Qrow agreed. "But any idea we come up with is going to be dangerous. We're past the point of playing it safe." Murmurs of agreement followed that statement, and Qrow pushed on. "This is our only chance to get Ozpin near his cane again."
"Oh!" Zap began nodding fiercely, and she snapped her fingers. "That could work. It's risky, but it could work."
"We cannot count on the idea that Salem would let Ozpin get anywhere near his cane once captured," James said.
"But he could," Ori pointed out. "And perhaps we are overestimating Salem. Clearly, she and Ozpin have a history together that needs to be sorted out. That could make her sloppy."
"Salem isn't sloppy." James' voice hardened, his hands clenched into fists.
"We might not have a better option," Merle said, his tone gentle, as if he wanted to soften the dangerous ideas bouncing around in the room. But Qrow agreed with Merle and the others. This could be their only chance. They were running out of options.
Qrow could only think of one other option, one other person, who might be able to help them out. But she wouldn't want to, and they didn't have the time to convince her. Contacting her came with too many strings, and too high a price.
"No, we don't-," James began, jabbing a finger down on the table, when the doors burst open. Everyone's gaze snapped to the newcomer, and Qrow reached for his weapon. He could see Winter do the same, her gloved hand resting on the hilt of her sabre.
They weren't expecting anyone else.
Though Qrow quickly realized the person at the door meant no harm. He had no weapon in hand, and he looked rather nervous, his brow sweaty. He was covered in some rather hideous armor with a few hints of red and blue here and there. An Atlas soldier, Qrow realized.
"General Ironwood!" The man gasped. James turned to him, looking annoyed and a bit angry.
"I gave the order that we weren't to be disturbed," he growled. "This has better be good."
"Sir, there's something happening in Atlas." The soldier/messenger hurried to James' side, holding up his Scroll. James took one look at the Scroll, then the color drained from his face.
"Sir?" Winter sounded worried. Qrow frowned.
"The streets of Atlas are under attack. We must head back to the city." James stood up quickly, pushing his chair away.
"What?!" Glynda stared up at James, but he didn't look back at her.
"What's happening? Should we all go?" Zap asked.
"Schnee, we must go." James didn't answer any of the questions being fired his way, and Qrow felt another twinge of annoyance at the General's actions. The messenger soldier began to head back towards the door, but Winter stopped him.
"Show me," she ordered. The skittish soldier handed her the Scroll, shaking slightly. Winter looked down at the Scroll, and much like James, her face paled, eyes widening. Qrow leaned over to get a good look at the picture on the Scroll.
It was a picture of an empty though ravaged street in Atlas. In the center of the picture stood a single person. A teenager, in fact. Qrow didn't recognize them from anywhere, and the teen had no noticeable symbols or marks that identified them as part of any group or kingdom-related organization.
But they did have bright eyes that glowed as if they were lit from the inside.
The eyes were so familiar. It was on the tip of Qrow's tongue. Why was this something strange about this teen?
It hit Qrow then. Why James and Winter had reacted like they had. What Winter had told him recently.
"Dr. Polendina has made more vessels for the military."
"I saw empty, metal bodies hanging on the wall."
"I'm positive they didn't abandon the idea when Penny was destroyed."
No, they hadn't apparently. Or someone hadn't.
After all, James was here. And he was shocked at the sudden turn of events. Which meant he wasn't a part of it. Qrow didn't believe James was a good enough liar to pull off this kind of stunt, and he knew Jimmy preferred to work through his plans in secret anyways. That was the whole point of Penny Polendina in the first place.
It was someone who wanted to cause chaos. Someone who was able to sneak into the Atlas military and gain control of their technology.
It seemed Salem had made her move.
XXX
I'm glad to finally get this new chapter out, and thank you for the feedback last chapter! Seems most are in favor of long chapters, and despite what I initially thought I would do for this chapter, it still ended up being fairly long. So I feel relatively certain that most of the chapters from now on will continue to stay around this length, at least.
Tsiyi sin: Thank you for the review! I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter, and I hope you're staying safe as well.
NinaVale: Ah you again compliment me too much, but I greatly appreciate it :) I'm glad my worldbuilding seems well enough; it's always a little hard to decide what to keep and what not to keep from the show, and how much description there should be without over-explaining or having a little too much prose. So I'm happy that you think I've kept it well balance! I always love reading your reviews. The dance and the ball scene was fun to write. A bit cliche, I know, but I couldn't resist. Who doesn't want to see a Schnee ball with all of its romance and drama?
hypernova: Thank you for your kind words, and thank you for the feedback! I'm glad to know you've been enjoying the chapters! This chapter should still be fairly long, so I hope you enjoy this chapter. At this point, I don't know if I could write shorter chapters anymore. There's just so much happening in the story, and so much I have planned ;)