She had fully expected to have been dead by now. Cinder's usefulness had been filled, and Salem obviously no longer needed her. The witch made that abundantly clear when she cast the Fall Maiden from the skies. She was being abandoned yet again, and for that brief moment. While Cinder fell from the whale's mouth, Cinder was content with that. The god she sought to please, the final belting, was that her own arm was to be her end. The black thing spasmed like mad, eating her seemingly whole as she lost all strength to stop it. Though Cinder had passed out from the whaling pain the arm drove through her long before she hit the ground, she was acutely aware of the sudden and impudent blast of silver light that sought to burn her inside out. She only wished she could see that damned girl and thank her for ending it already.
What Cinder had not expected was to be thrust back into that damned Hotel, with her original Mistress. The daunting days of servitude to Atlas' never-ending cesspool that formed the morose Hotel played out. As if a demented circle, living the experience over and over in her mind. Every time, Cinder was made acutely aware that her nightmare world was a place she could never make a difference, where she had to bite the bullet every time and chose to dive headstrong into her oncoming fate where all she had was Salem. How funny was it that now too, Salem had cast her aside much like Rhode's had? Every time she saw that man's damned face, she was reminded of the pale-faced witch.
If this is what the Afterlife was, Cinder thought the god of it had a wicked sense of humour. Forever was the sequence repeated, her mind filled as she watched and played the part of the weakling time after time. Cursing when she did the same move every second, "Why had he not blocked or thought to finish me off?" Cinder growled as her blade once more skewered Rhode's sternum, and again tears spilt down her face as his dead hand slipped from her head. Though, the wet thump to the floor this one time of a hundred sent a shiver and sharp inhale through Cinder's whole form.
The Afterlife indeed appeared to live up to its name, as Cinder's eye blinked long and slow to focus upon the decadent Atlesian chandelier hung above her. Mentally slapping herself, Cinder refocused her eye, staring at the hung crystalline decoration with an intensity with which she wished to burn it. Slowly, her mind composed itself, her head turned with an ache she had not felt in many years. The right side of some bedroom met her. The whole room was bathed in rich blues and bleak greys that plastered the walls, appraised by an antique pattern that even Cinder recognized as too goddy.
Breath stuttering, Cinder quietly pieced together her situation with a grimace that only the fire-eyed woman could muster. Her hand, barely in her vision, curled to a fist in the thick sheets she laid within. Their warmth and weight pinning her, had it honestly gotten so bad that lifting a blanket had defeated her? As Cinder squirmed beneath the sheets, she had not even noticed the slow drip of the IV that hung attached to her arm, the tube straining with distance as she moved.
The soft click of heels and boots filled the Manor halls, Weiss keeping a close instep with her partner, Ruby. They had been quiet for a long time now when Ruby broke the silence with a soft question. "They're going to be fine, right Weiss?" Ruby asked with a tired smile. Weiss, while nodding softly, spoke, "Of course, dolt. Penny and Oscar are strong. They'll be fine." Weiss' assuring smile barely hid her worry, however. All the same, Weiss wrapped the red hooded leader in a side hug as they walked into another of the large halls. "Klein is treating Oscar, and Penny is just.. asleep." Weiss said with a nod, "Right." Ruby nodded, looking to her partner with a sigh, "We won." Ruby said and tightened her hug on the Schnee. Making the white-haired woman laugh, "Yes, Ruby." She managed, thinking on how much had changed as of late.
For all intents and purposes, Atlas was safe, though having to give up its aerial advantage after the fierce fighting. Salem had not counted on the courage of their people to go fend off her monsters as well as they had. Though with some sacrifice, the once aerial city was now making a neat and equal neighbour to Mantel, Robin and her merry band couldn't be happier to serve as the first elects of the dual-municipality. RWBY and co had celebrated Humanity's first big win. But still, the implications of how much they had done to get here weighed heavy on the young leader. Weiss watched her partner with an increasing worry as the days went on. Ruby had taken their last huge loss, Pyrrha, quietly and alone. This time, Weiss was assured to be there the whole time for her partner.
Atlas and Mantel had walked away from the fight really by the skin of their teeth. Their defenders fought hard to push Grim from every facet of the cities, ending with its whale. The beast took over a day of firm fighting to merely contain. Nothing in the battle had gone right, as Atlas forces scarcely held the monsters in the farmland. Though when all seemed most dire, Winter and Jaune's teams had gotten the beast's lower jaw to detach from its form with a mighty explosion that would put some of Atlas' weapons to shame. Seemingly injuring the leviathan enough to force Salem into a retreat.
For the most part, Humanity had won at a shockingly high cost. With Penny out of commission for the time being, Mantel was defended by Atlas soldiers and Robin's people. While Oscar, too, sat in poor condition following his surprise rescue. To add to the cost of victory, much of Salem's people were now once more out of RWBY's sight, well, save for one of their old foes.
Ruby sighed, "I wonder if she's awake by now." Weiss grimaced, removing her arm from Ruby as she rubbed her hands worryingly. "A-are we sure that…" Weiss paused, stopping their walk to look to Ruby. "That this could work?" The pair faced off in the shadow of Remnant's broken moon. Ruby looked at Weiss. The red leader didn't answer immediately. Instead, she turned her head to look out onto the dark night's sky. Weiss stepped forward, trying to draw an answer from her partner, "Ruby?" The woman quickly shook her head with a frown, "I… I don't know." Ruby answered finally, "Okay? I just." Ruby huffed, "I just couldn't."
Weiss saw her partner's hand gripped tight at her cape, rubbing the material between her fingers anxiously. "Cinder… I think... can be good." Weiss' mouth closed at the statement, letting Ruby continue to talk through what she was thinking. "She just." Ruby sighed again, shaking her head with an annoyed gurgle that made Weiss flinch a tad. "No one can be that evil without reason." Ruby said bluntly, taking a step toward Weiss, "I think what she needs is…" Ruby shook her head as she fought to find the words.
Weiss hesitantly added, "People?" The comment made Ruby take a breath, letting her hands drop to her sides as she sighed. Looking up to Weiss, "She needs a friend... like I have you." Ruby said with a chuckle and a pat to the Schnee's shoulder. All the while, Weiss' expression turned to a scoffing laugh, "Right, everyone could use a friend like me. I'm fantastic." A triumphant smirk engrained itself onto the Schnee, one that made the redhead smile. Weiss smiled to herself as she watched her partner laugh, though she had to shake herself a little to follow her comment up, stuttering a little as she started.
"But does she have to use my guest room?" Weiss asked with a sigh. Ruby rolled her eyes, "I may think she deserves a second chance, but I'm not dumb, Weiss. She's gotta have an eye kept on her." Weiss winced at the poor humour, then Ruby continued, "That's why we're sharing a bed, remember?" Ruby slapped the Schnee's back before turning and taking off down the hall toward the bedroom in question. "Oh yes," Weiss said with a sigh, unapologetically watching Ruby leave before shaking her head with a blush, "How could I forget?"
Coming to Weiss' room, Ruby threw open the door with a deep inhale. Nearly knocking over both her own Scythe and Weiss' rapier from a table to the side of the door. Ruby exclaimed, "Weiss, your room is like the size of my house!" The cloaked woman said with a laugh. Weiss, bringing up the rear, sighed, "Yes, too much space though, feeds one too many bad collecting habits." She said with a wave to the four separate bookcases around the room and the two vanity mirrors. Ruby gawked at the stacks, "Woah, it makes sense why you were such a know-it-all in Beacon!" Ruby exclaimed, rushing with a sputter of petals to the first case. Weiss huffed as she entered the room, "Hey!" She squeaked, Ruby quickly turning to the fuming Schnee. "It's a good thing! You actually were a know-it-all! Cause you're smart." Ruby defended, throwing her hands up with a laugh.
Weiss' scorn resided for the moment. Rolling her eyes, Weiss removed her gloves as she walked to her bed. "Whatever, there's a shower in the bathroom there," Weiss said with a point to the back right corner of the room. "I suggest you take a shower. You smell of death." Ruby took an exaggerated breath in, "How dare you, ma-damn! I'll have you know I am best friends with this Manor's owner! And shall not be insulted here!" Ruby said with an equally exaggerated posh accent.
Weiss nodded, "I'm sure you are, but please, madam, think of the poor stench you'll leave on the furnishings." The Schnee countered, throwing her gloves onto her bed as she undid her collar. Ruby pouted for a moment, going to take a smell of herself and quickly cringing. "Agh, okay, fine." She croaked, turning to the bathroom, though not before Weiss called after her, "Put your cape on the bed. It'll get wet." Ruby turned a quick 180 and did as suggested, "Thanks, bestie." Ruby hummed. Weiss nodded at the title, "Mhm." The door to the bath shutting with a click behind the leader, leaving Weiss in her room alone.
As she removed her garments, throwing most of them carefree to the bed to be folded later, Weiss sighed longingly to the bathroom. Throwing on one of her casual white shower robes and tugging out the braids. Letting the white mess of hair fall around her as she sat on her bed's edge, Weiss took a look at her scroll. The news quickly picked up on the victorious stories, Penny's heroic battle with Grim, Winter's bravery, Jaune's courage. All of the stories made Weiss smile to read, as biased and propagandized as the Atlas news was, the incoming Mantel influence for truthful information was refreshing.
Then Weiss shot a quick message to Klein, "When you're done with Oscar for the evening, get some rest, Klein." Then another to Blake and Yang, "Ruby and I are going to turn in, don't celebrate too much, okay?" Klein was fast to respond, "Of course, Heiress. I know you're worried, but the boy is strong, and after what that Jaune boy's done to help. Oscar will be right as rain with some bed rest." Weiss let a relaxed sigh of relief out. Though her relief was dashed with Yang responding as well, only with a simple thumbs-up emoji.
"Of course, you two are already 'turning in,' ugh." Weiss groaned, flunking back on her bed. Scroll upon her chest, Weiss huffed. The noise of the shower danced in the back of her head. At her side was the red hood. Blue eyes glazing over the article with a sigh, "Ugh, why don't you get it?" She moaned, her hand stroking the piece with a frown. "I mean, how more obvious could I be?" She cursed to herself.
A loud crash drove Weiss upright. Initially, she looked to the bathroom, "Ruby? You okay?" She asked. When no reply came, she furrowed her brow and stood. "Ruby?" She asked again, walking over to the wash with her hands holding her robe shut as she rested her ear against the door. Hearing the shower continue, as well as Ruby's hum, "Red like roses fills my dreams~." Weiss stopped for a moment, a slight smile coming to her as she listened to the melodic song. She had to shake herself back to the moment from the singing. Turning to the opposite wall, the door to her guest bedroom stood with an almost taunting shadow to it. "Hmm." Weiss pursed her lips, sauntering forth. Then Weiss heard another thud followed by a long and monotone, "Fuuuuuuuuucccccc-." It made her rush to the room's door, twisting the knob so fast she forgot to even grab her rapier in case. Though the weapon was unneeded as Weiss was revealed to a scene straight out of a nurse's worst-case scenario book.
Her spare room unveiled a scene some would find quite comical. Save for the middle child of the Schnee family. The woman Weiss wanted to throw in jail right beside her father, Cinder Fall, laid in a Snow White Schnee bathrobe, splayed out on the floor twisting like a turtle on its back. Weiss' eyes went quickly to the rabid spurt of red coming from the panicking woman's arm. Weiss blinked up, seeing the IV had been dragged across the bed and the tube dripping morphine was rendered onto the floor beside Cinder. "Mother… ow." Cinder groaned, her legs kicking in a way that made Weiss think she was trying to plug her arm with her foot.
"What the hell are you doing?!" Weiss instinctively shouted, the Maiden on the floor freezing as her head rolled backward on the floor. Cinder's eye watched the young Schnee upside down. Cinder looked as if she had been caught pilfering from the cookie jar, "Ah… I can explain." She said with a slur, Weiss almost seethed, "I knew we shouldn't have given you that." Cinder blinked, "Wha-?" Though the Schnee didn't even wait for a half-conscious reply, "Stop moving! Here!" Rushing to Cinder's side and pulling the woman upright, she then forcibly slumped her against the bed's foot. Cinder smirked, "Buy me a drink first." She chuckled groggily.
"Gross. In so many ways." Weiss shook her head, grabbing at the Maiden's empty left sleeve. Cinder, watching in her half-awake state, groaned. "White clothes no mix good with blood." The drugged voice slurred out, but it was primarily ignored by Weiss. Instead, Weiss huffed, "Ugh, I really liked this robe.." Then taring the garment's arm in half and forced Cinder's arm straight. "Hold this straight." Weiss asked once, Cinder limply complying. "Hold it straight!" Weiss bellowed, the yellow-eyed woman quickly complying with a startled blink.
"Yes, ma'am." The yellow eyed woman bobbed along as Weiss formed a makeshift tourniquet. Cinder wincing in pain as Weiss stood to tighten the thing. "Gods…" Weiss sighed, looking down at the scene. Cinder's robe, one of Weiss' more used robes, was now partly red. She just thanked the gods that the Schnee manor had opted for cold stone rather than carpeting, "Ugh... Sit here." Weiss said with a growl, the woman beneath her nodding quick, "Will do." Cinder groaned. Weiss sighed, dismissively chastising the criminal, "Gods, you're like Mother on a bad drinking day right now." Cinder nodded again, still drugged, "Will do."
Turning with a huff, Weiss rushed into her room again. Seeing Ruby just leaving the washroom with one of Weiss' robes on, "Oh, come on, why is everyone taking my robes?" The Schnee said with exasperation. Ruy turned with a startled bounce before laughing out. "Oh! Hey, Weiss. Water's all warm- OH GODS." Ruby suddenly sputtered, freezing in place as she pointed first. "Weiss?! Are you okay?!" Ruby cried, rushing to her friend, hands pawing at Weiss. Though the Schnee was more busy trying to find her scroll.
"Ruby- Can you screw off right now?" Weiss jabbed at the girl with her index, "But Weiss that's a lot of blood?" Ruby said with what looked like tears in her eyes. Weiss looked at her, shocked for a moment, sighing with a stroke of her eyes. Weiss grabbed Ruby's shoulders with a shake and shouted to her partner, "IT'S NOT MINE, DOLT." Ruby blinking for a moment as tears began to bellow, "W-what?" Weiss dropped her hands, one grabbing at her scroll again while the other pointed past Ruby into the spare bedroom, "Idiot over there ripped her IV out!" Ruby turned with a start, "Oh.." Ruby managed.
Barely blinking before the tornado of petals seemingly exploded into existence. "Why weren't you that fast for me?!" Weiss called after her partner. Then continued to use her scroll, quickly making a call. "Whitely? Hey, did Klein go to bed yet?" Weiss asked, looking over her shoulder to the room, "He didn't? Could you please ask him to come down here? The woman we mafia carried in here is bleeding everywhere." A moment of chatter came over, "Yes, I still have Hemophobia. No, my rage has eclipsed the vomit- oh, no, here we go." Weiss said briefly before her hand rushed to her mouth.
Ruby heard the scampering feet of Weiss behind her, though when the Schnee never arrived, she turned to Cinder. Crouched beside the dark woman, Ruby had a good view of the injuries the woman possessed. Cinder, though seemingly heavily drugged up, had a look to her eye. Craning her head as she asked quietly, "You… you know me, right?" Ruby's questions were met with a nod. Cinder replied as Ruby moved to kneel on the woman's right side.
Silver eyes meeting the sole amber as Cinder spoke. "I know… that I hate you." Slurring still as she muttered, having to force the words out through a seeming confusion. Ruby scoffed, "I bet. The arm and eye thing were me, after all." Ruby said with a light chuckle. Cinder, surprisingly, let a trio of low laughs out with a bob of her head. "Yeah... But. I had that coming." The bloodied woman sighed, "Beacon was a… bad time." She finished with a longing wave of her hand.
Ruby swallowed, "That's an understatement." She exhaled. When no further reply came, the younger of the pair sighed and sat back against the bed beside the woman. Cinder watching as she did so, amber eye tracking the rose as she moved. Ruby watched the wall across from them for a moment. Twiddling her thumbs while sneaking side glances at the waiting Cinder every few seconds. When a moment of silence passed, and Ruby got sick of hearing Weiss wretch, She let loose a heavy breath.
Holding her scroll up as she looked at Cinder, "Wanna watch funny cat videos?" The drugged Cinder slurred out, "Yeah." With a smile, "Cool, I like cats." Ruby said in an aside-like tone, Cinder quickly affirming, "I like cats too." As Ruby looked for videos, when one thumbnail caught her viewing partner's attention, "Pff, that cat's stuck in the door!" Cinder said, pointing at the scroll with a bloody finger. Ruby smirked, half cringing, "Y-yeah! It is!" She managed, tapping the video and letting it play.