Setting: Bramble Chasm

Defeated. Beaten. Humiliated. How else was Ebony supposed to feel?

She climbed over the ledge of the chasm, getting over the rift and squatting on her knees once the scaling was done. A hand appeared in front of her face and she lifted her head to see Patterns to be the one standing over her. "This was better than seeing Violet do it," she thought passively.

"You okay?" Patterns asked, waiting for her to take his hand. It took her a moment, but she did and he helped her get to her feet.

"Yes," she answered quickly. A scan of the immediate showed she was the last one to climb out of the chasm.

Patterns' team was together except for D'Rado who was kneeling beside Alexandrite who was sleeping in the dirt after her painful experience with Supernova. While he tended to her, it didn't look like he or any of the other Corps members were aware of her use of the drug. Knowing they used the very thing they were working so hard to destroy would appear problematic. Ebony believed it was best not to bring up the incident. It seemed Zinnia felt the same, but the slightest hint of disdain could be seen in her eyes. Yes, she could tell the divide between her Champions and herself was getting larger.

Patterns walked to the ledge and peered down at the state of the assassins' former base. It was reduced to rubble. There were barely any branches left spanning across the ravine. Even though it was silent like last time, it lacked something without the Parliament of assassins residing in it. The presence of life. "This place is gonna have to be renamed, the chasm. There's barely anything remarkable about it anymore."

"Are we done here?" Rose asked her leader, "The walk back to the town they were in isn't too far from here."

"Yeah. Rouge, carry Alexandrite," Patterns ordered as he started the walk back. The large faunus groaned in annoyance, but listened and picked up the sleeping warrior. Ebony and Zinnia trailed behind them. The walk back was very quiet. Any talking done was Patterns asking Ebony what led to their situation.

The air around them was tense and awkward.

Setting: Settlement

Back to the small village where the fiasco began. Ebony's retinue returned to the inn they were staying in to get some rest. That was what they agreed on without speaking, but none of them could get the reprieve they needed.

Ebony's group entered the inn with the Caped Corps trailing behind. Zinnia and Alexandrite went inside the building while Ebony slowed her steps and stopped in front of the entrance. She turned to the group that came to her aid and looked to Patterns. "Thank you for coming. It would've ended badly if you didn't," she admitted. There seemed to be very little life in her voice.

"Don't worry about it. You guys have been sticking your necks out there while we've been cooked up in a lab. It's the least we could do," Patterns said then flashed her a smile.

"Speaking of my lab," Rose interrupted, "I would like to get back before sundown."

Her cold response made her leader chuckle. "No social skills whatsoever, eh Rose?" Patterns turned back to Ebony and said, "Sorry to leave so suddenly but we do have to get back."

"Right," Ebony replied.

"Hold on," A voice called out from inside the inn. They found Zinnia walking to them. She didn't go back to their room yet. "Rose, can you tell me about some of the things you learned about Supernova."

The pink-haired girl eyed Zinnia up and down, questioning her seriousness. "It's complicated information. You might not understand everything."

"Anything helps," Zinnia told her, not feeling insulted about Rose's disguised sleight. Pride was something she did without. It didn't fill one's belly or keep them warm during cold nights. Zinnia was beyond the need to massage her ego or salve it if someone wounded it.

The intelligent woman simply nodded and walked into the inn's lobby to find somewhere to sit. Zinnia followed suit and they began to converse. Ebony and the others watched for a moment before Patterns said, "Guess we'll be going after their talk… You sure you guys are alright?"

"Yes. We'll be fine," she replied quickly as if she took some offense to the question. Patterns did raise his eyebrow but he didn't press on the subject further, however, he did something to give her temporary relief. "I think it might be best if one of us stays with your group. Some extra assistance could make a big difference."

Ebony didn't say yes, but she didn't say no either. That was enough for Patterns to go along with his own idea. "D'Rado, go with them."

The young man with golden hair perked up. His face showed the faintest glimmer of joy until it faded into confusion. "Ah-sure! But why me?" he asked regrettably. D'Rado enjoyed being in their company and questioning his leader might make him withdraw his request.

"You guys have strong camaraderie and I need to watch over Rose as we make our way back to base," told him then pointed to Rouge, "And I have a mission for the big guy that's going to take him off the beaten path. You're the best person for this. That's okay with you, right?" he asked Ebony a second time.

There was more clarity in her eyes but they still seemed distant. "Yeah. D'Rado is more than welcomed to accompany us," she turned her back to the inn and walked away, "Sorry for dragging you all into this, but you have my thanks. I must retire to my room. Good day."

Rude. Her departure lacked any trace of etiquette she was taught as a child and she was aware of that. Her aunt taught her these things, not as a discipline but tools to win others over. People were more susceptible if one shows themselves as rule-abiding or subservient and Ebony has used this in succession with most of her interactions, but not today. She was exasperated with everything and didn't want to be bothered anymore.

D'Rado started following her, but a firm hand on his shoulder stopped him. Turning around, he found Patterns was holding him back with a stern expression. The man leaned in and said, "Watch out for Ebony and her group. They've been through a lot and it's taken a toll on all of them."

"I will," D'Rado replied.

"Just as a precaution, keep us informed on their activities. If another event like today befell them, then it would be better if we knew and could act accordingly."

"Of course! I'll message you with my scroll," D'Rado replied enthusiastically and earned a grin from Patterns.

"All right! We leave everything in your hands. Come on, guys." Patterns and Rouge walked away to return to their base. D'Rado watched them depart for a moment before feeling Rose walk past him, finishing her talk with Zinnia.

"Staying with us?" he heard Zinnia's voice ask from behind. He turned to her and found her smiling but he could tell the day has taken a toll on her just like the others.

"Yes. Thank you for having me," D'Rado said respectfully but felt a bit flustered by his tone.

The feeling felt worse when the Paragon giggled at him.

"No need to thank us. We enjoy your company, D'Rado. If anything, it's good you're here… I have a favor to ask,"

"Anything," he answered without thinking.

"I need to speak with Ebony in private. Could you watch over Alexandrite for me? Her body is in tatters so I doubt she'll be difficult to deal with, for once."

"Uh...ok…" he accepted though with less confidence than he showed earlier. It was no surprise that Alexandrite was the most intimidating of the trio of women and D'Rado was definitely fearful of her, but he already accepted and didn't see a reason to refuse. Just watching her couldn't be too frightening...right?

Setting: Inn

The duo made their way to the room the others resided in. Zinnia opened the door and found Alexandrite in the small living room laying on the couch, looking like she chose to collapse there instead of taking the time to walk to her bed. At the moment, she didn't appear scary, so D'Rado felt like he could watch her with no worries. Ebony wasn't with the sleeping Behemoth, meaning she was in the bedroom. Zinnia marched to the closed door leading to her destination. She opened the door and found her liege placing her weapon next to her bed before sitting on it. The fatigue in her eyes was undeniable but Zinnia could see something else. This needed to happen now.

Zinnia closed the bedroom door behind her and locked it. "We need- No. We're going to talk," she told Ebony who lifted her head to look at her friend.

"Can it wait? I need some rest after everything we-"

"No," she told Ebony who was taken aback by Zinnia's refusal. "You'll say not now and we'll never talk. This is happening whether you want to or not. Unless you want to force your way out of here?"

A challenge. Ebony stared into Zinnia's eyes and could tell she was serious. Her friend was willing to physically hold her in this room if she tried to escape. Ebony knew their skills were close but had no desire to fight her friend. She had enough fighting for today and prayed going through this talk was less painful. She had her doubts about that.

"You've changed ever since we came to Mistral. What's going on?"

"..." Ebony remained silent, refusing to answer her friend's question. This topic was unavoidable, obviously, but she planned to prolong the pain for as long as she could. It was childish and she was aware of her behavior.

Zinnia sighed then asked, "You haven't been acting like yourself for a long time and it's showing. You're not as calculated and thorough as you used to be. Every time you tried to take a step forward has been hesitant, every plan you've made ended haphazardly or you haven't thought all the way through. It's clear to me… We know each other well, don't we?"

"..." she continued her silence but felt it would be disrespectful not to answer that last comment. One thing Ebony never wanted to put into question was their friendship. "We do…" she said quietly.

Zinnia approached Ebony then knelt down. She looked up at Ebony with pleading eyes that cracked through Vantablack's quiet demeanor. Ebony could shake the unrest she felt in her heart at the sight of her friend looking so desperate.

"Then why can't you tell me what's hurting you? Why are you pushing me away when I just want to help?"

Ebony raised her hand and reached out to her friend.

"Are you trying… Do you want to cast us aside?"

The straw that broke the camel's back. Zinnia felt Ebony press her body against hers, arms wrapped around her, and tears running down her shoulder.

"Of course not!" Ebony told her vehemently. She gripped her friend's shoulders and looked her in the eyes, fully aware tears were falling from her own. There was no shame in crying in front of Zinnia. The real shame was not sharing her true feelings with the person she considered her greatest ally and closest friend.

They stared into each other's eyes, seeing the honesty and openness with nothing else hidden. A rare moment where everything was laid bare. Zinnia felt like she could ask Ebony anything and get a true answer. She knew Ebony wouldn't normally lie to her if she asked a question, but now she believed she could ask any personal question and learn about something that could change how she viewed the Charming Vantablack.

Ebony always knew Zinnia would be truthful with her, but she was scared of being vulnerable with anyone. Once she crossed that threshold, there was no going back. Eyes linked, Ebony took a deep breath and committed to telling her everything. She figured speaking openly about it could be beneficial. She stood up and sat on the bed. Zinnia rose from her position and sat on the bed adjacent to her then asked, "What's wrong?"

"A simple question with a heavy answer," Ebony thought.

"Ever since Vacuo… No. Um…" Putting her frustrations into words was difficult. She was tripping on her words. She stopped herself and waited for seconds to gather her thoughts properly.

"It may sound prideful, but I've felt proud of my own intelligence and my ability to formulate plans. There wasn't a problem I couldn't solve or a wall I couldn't climb… Until Vacuo...until VRSZ. They were a fun anomaly at first. They were an interesting group who followed every step of my plan ever since I met them, but somehow, someway, they grew out of my control. Violet led them to rebel against me and they won. Even though I strategized to face them in battle, to the best of my abilities, I was completely and utterly defeated...by the girl who stood before me and I can't get her image out of my head. Anytime I try to come up with a strategy, I'm reminded of that day and Violet and…"

"If your best-laid plans failed then, they could fail again," Zinnia finished for her, "That's what's soldering you back and making you reckless."

It was true. Ebony didn't want her strategy to fall apart again. She was lucky to have been shown mercy in Vacuo, but that same courtesy wouldn't befall her in Mistral. Any unraveling could spell the end of everything.

"Ebony Vantablack. You're not perfect," Zinnia stated matter of factly. "No one expects you to be smart enough to plan for everything correctly, so don't put that kind of pressure on yourself. It won't do you any good."

Ebony stared at Zinnia with tired eyes, but the fatigue wasn't from the day they had. No. This was fatigue from holding a secret to herself for too long. It felt amazing and relieving to share her sorrow with another person, even more so with Zinnia.

"It's okay to fail. There's nothing wrong with faltering. Every single person on Remnant stumbles and falls. We learn from each failure and grow. You will do the same. And if you have trouble getting back on your feet, you can rely on me to help you back up. Whether you're a genius or not, I'm not going anywhere. I truly believe you can change the world for the better in your own unique way."

"Dammit," Ebony felt like crying. Zinnia touched her heart with her healing words of encouragement and assurance she did not need to deal with her fears alone. Looking at the fiery-redhead Underland, Ebony understood she was called the Paragon not only for her strength but for her wisdom. She felt she didn't deserve such a person by her side, but knew Zinnia was exactly who she needed.

"Thank you," was all she could say. Ebony couldn't think of any other words to best describe her gratitude, but there was something else that needed to be said. "I'm sorry. This is all my fault and I swear I'll make things right."

"There's the Ebony I remember," Zinnia said with a smile, "But there are a few things that need to be done before we even think about making another plan."

"And those things are?" Ebony asked.

Zinnia didn't speak, but walked over to Ebony, bent over, then pulled her scroll out of her pocket. "What are you-" Ebony was ignored as Zinnia tapped on the device several times before tossing it back to the owner. She caught her scroll and looked at it. Ebony's eyes widened in shock.

Zinnia walked out of the room and said, "Good luck. You'll thank me later."

She was calling Violet.