Eye snapping open, Cinder released a long and winding wince before her hand gripped at her scalp. It was as if she had awoken to the worst form of hangover anyone could possibly have. Like she had a complete four-month bender stockpiled atop of whatever she was experiencing. Her eye was hazy as she cracked it open, sputtering momentarily as she had to adjust to the bright light of the outside world. The window's slim belt of warm light fed through the curtains and down onto her shoulder. Growing more aware of her body, she found the wet dampness of sweat permeated the thick covers. The sweat stuck her hair to her face, doing the same to her eyepatch.
Slowly, Cinder gained more awareness of her body, her mind waking up faster than it had in the evening before. Blinking as she looked about her realm. She recognized most of what she saw from the fever dream that was the last night. A slight moan left her as her body too kicked back into gear. Her muscles felt as if they had been replaced with steel beams, rigidness overtaking her as Cinder fought to slowly roll onto her back. It was the moment that she tried to slow her roll and press herself taller with her left arm that Cinder found she had absolutely no sense of her left side, which led her to look with a slow horror to her side.
Turning her head with a skittish sense that she had only experienced in the Fall of Beacon, Cinder's hand shook with a determined twitch. Fumbling over herself as her hand made it to her stump of an arm before her vision did. Her whole body was near vibrating as the warm touch of a bandage wrap was felt, so too was the numb feeling from the stump itself. It was so distinctly foreign for the Maiden. The previous parasite that had inhabited the spot was so much different than that of regular flesh and blood. The Grimm's arm had afforded her something in the way of a phantom limb, a constant awareness that it could barely tell her of what she was touching, though it suffered from endless pins and needles. The woman winced happily, "It's gone… Where?-" She muttered first, then slashed her comment abruptly.
Getting to her feet was awful, "Come on. Useless legs." Cinder growled at herself, her hand upon the bed bannister by the foot. Shaking with determination, the creaking of wood that resounded through the room as she stood made Cinder feel the warmth of triumph. "Little victories.." Cinder scoffed; her feet felt as if they were made of lead, with her first steps nearly sending her buckling down.
Catching herself roughly on the bannister again, her other foot went stomping ahead of her. The low pops and snaps of dormant, wounded bones were made apparent to Cinder, but something felt different to her as she straightened herself. Something had energized her. It was so odd, the loss of the parasite perhaps, but she had to be sure. Surmising the doors of the room, Cinder stood center stage to a trio of doors.
Collecting herself, Cinder tried to wager her power against whatever laid beyond the doors, "I. I'm too weakened to settle things." Cinder all but snarled to herself. Her tactical mind slowly processed her surroundings as if rebooting now that she stood. "White, blue… I'm still in Atlas." Cinder murmured, eye flicking around the room then to her body. "White bathrobe?" She tugged at the material, catching sight of her arm. The white bandage over her veins, a memory drug itself back to the surface. "An IV?" She scowled, turning slowly to the other end of the bed. Sure enough, a tower stood beside the bed. Cinder limped her way toward it with a huff each step.
The metal pole still held the bag of what Cinder could scantily recognize as a heavy painkiller, "Why would they?.." Her scowl deepened, "This is an insult to injury." She declared with a sarcastic huff. Moving then, Cinder searched the remainder of the room. Finding little in the way of her gear or clothes, nothing besides the same White Robes, blankets, towels, all of it was horribly luxurious and detestable to the woman who craved all of this her whole life. Her hand gripped into a fierce fist, Cinder wandered to the window.
Throwing the curtains aside, Cinder was momentarily blinded by the swath of light that overtook her. But then her eyes went wide, "H-how?" She had expected to see fire, plumes of smoke, death, and destruction, the things Salem had promised to bring about to Cinder. But no, she saw the horizon, the packs of ice beyond the ground to which Atlas sat on the far boundaries. She had to shake her head back away in shock as the world presented itself to the cynic within. "What in Tartarus?" Cinder breathed in deeply, her voice cracking momentarily, a dry lump growing in her throat as she sniffed. "It's all still here?" Cinder mouthed, "B-but she said… she said she'd?" Cinder was at a loss, had Salem failed? How was that even possible, or was Cinder actually in the afterlife she had craved so much?
In Weiss' room, Ruby paced with a fervent purpose. Weiss quietly stood by the door to her spare bedroom as she listened in. Both were dressed back in regular attire. But Weiss and Ruby removed anything sharp that could be perceived or more likely used as a weapon. Klein stood by the door, a medical kit under his arm. Alongside Klein, with a standoff-like glare, Jaune watched the door. Ruby walked over to the pair of men, "Klein? What will she be like after last night?" Ruby asked with an ever-present worry. Klein looked to the girl with a red glimmer in his eyes, "Well, if she's anything like the bull you've told me about, then pricklier than Jaques on poker night."
Ruby looked upward to Jaune as Klein offered a little sneeze. Green overshadowing the red as he excused himself, "Our guest should be very sore and probably terrified. She won't be wanting to fight if that's what you mean." Ruby nodded with a sigh, "I hope not, but Cinder doesn't seem like someone who cares if she'll get hurt in a fight." Klein made a grumble of agreement.
In turn, Jaune nodded, quick to look at his friend. "Ruby, are you still sure? After everything Cinder's done?" Ruby swallowed as Jaune placed his hand calmly upon her shoulder. Setting her own hand atop his, she smiled softly, "We have to try. You saw her then, Jaune. She isn't exactly a whole woman." Ruby reasoned, he nodded. "I…" Jaune started, his eyes turning away from his friend. "I don't think I should go in there." Ruby's grip tightened on Jaune's hand as he continued.
"It'll bring too much back, and I don't think it'd be good for that side of me to come out like it did at Haven." The pair of leaders nodded to each other, "Okay, Jaune, do what you think is right." Ruby affirmed, a smile on her as he whispered. "I'm sorry, truly. I… I'll take Ren and Nora out and see if we can find anyone to help." He sighed, nodding as he removed his hand from his friend's shoulder. "We'll be on our scrolls, shoot a message if…" Pausing as he hung in the room's doorway, "If you need any help with Cinder." Ruby smiled at Jaune's words, "Good luck, Jaune." She said with a wave—him returning the gesture as he closed the door behind him.
Klein shook his head, "The boy has gone through a lot." Ruby nodded, "He has. Grown-up a lot too." Klein smiled at the woman's dictation, "You all have it seems." Then turning to Weiss at the door. With a sad sigh, Klein said, "I remember when Weissy was just little." Ruby opened her mouth to reply, but Weiss made a low call, "Psst!", waving the pair closer. Tiptoeing over, the team of Klein and Ruby listened intently as Weiss whispered, "She's up." Ruby shook her head in surprise, "What? Like up up?" She sounded startled, Klein nodding, "That's remarkably fast to be moving at all with that much morphine still in her system." Weiss winced, "It could be a Maiden thing?" Both the Schnee and her Butler looked to Ruby, the leader shaking her head, "What? I have no clue." She barked with a whisper.
All three froze as the door spoke to them, "You are horrible at infiltration." It said with a craggily and strained voice. Weiss looked to Ruby, Klein adjusting his grip on the medical case. The Rose hitched a breath, "Well." She said aloud, pausing to compose her voice as she spoke to the door, "A-are you decent?" A moment of silence overcame the lot, waiting for a response. "Heh, yes." Cinder's voice sounded tired. It made the hair on Weiss' neck upturn with a shake of her head. "Right," Weiss murmured. She turned with a start and took the handle of the door firmly in her hand.
Taking a deep breath as she prepared the mental image of the psychopath who she fought at Haven in her mind once more. The wound in her side was tangible as she twisted the door with tightly shut eyes. "Okay, Cinder." She began stepping into the room. Ruby and Klein watching as Weiss took a decisive step in as she spoke, "We've got some things to-." Weiss stopped both her sentences and stomp into the room ending with a sudden staggering abruptness. "Weiss?" Ruby asked with a rushed stammer, running in after Weiss.
The sight was horribly disheartening, but Cinder couldn't help herself. A mirror positioned to face the bed made for a perfect point for Cinder to sit and address the most prominent issue. It also gave the pair of children behind her an excellent view of her exposed form. Unsheathing herself from the robe down to her undergarments, Cinder unveiled herself. The body that was once corrupted and broken; was now merely broken.
Scarring stretched beneath the bandages of a half bicep and outward looked like the physical manifestation of a virus. Ruby's silver eyes had done only part of this, and Cinder knew that. Weiss' hand rose to her face in the mirror. The gesture made Cinder scoff, "It's not so bad, Schnee." Cinder murmured, not turning to face them, only speaking through the mirror. Ruby too looked horrified, "Your aura?.." Weiss asked with her hand dropping instinctively to Ruby's own. Cinder smirking coldly as the pair held hands, "Cute. No, my aura does not help this." She heaved, "I have little Red there and Salem to thank for that." Cinder murmured, looking away from the mirror for a moment.
Seizing the opportunity of silence to step in, Klein crept into the room. "A-ah. Our guest is awake then." His gentle persona said, before sneezing and giving Weiss and Ruby a jump, "And she's jacked up, she is!" The aggressive side of his bellowed, then stomping closer to the woman. Weiss was quick to stop his advance, "Wait, Klein!" She said without subtly, "I'm not sure-." Weiss began, Cinder turning slightly to meet the blue-eyed Schnee's gaze.
"I may be broken, but I am not deaf, Schnee." Cinder muttered, her proud voice shrinking with the address. "Your friend can get his work done, then we have a chat, I suspect." Cinder's monotone voice sought to dominate the room. Ruby coughed in discomfort, "Not quite, Cinder." The Maiden blinked, turning more, the popping of her back making the woman curse quietly in pain. Klein again stepped past Weiss with another shift of persona, "Oh, miss. I don't think you should over-exude yourself like that." Weiss swallowed hard as Klein came to a stop right beside the woman, Cinder's eye inspecting the man for a moment. "What are you? The Caddy?" Klein barely had responded before he was getting his case open on the bed, "I am the Butler of the Schnee estate and currently the one who is going to reapply your bandages." Cinder winced slightly, "Fine."
From the door still, Ruby watched as Klein unfurled the material around Cinder's decrepit arm, if it could even be called that anymore. Her hands subconsciously went to her heart as she slowly stepped up beside Weiss. The pair of Huntresses watching as the wrapping entirely left Cinder's arm naked to the world. It was evident that the air was uncomfortable to the woman. There was a heavy redness and burns abundant around the arm's tip. Klein winced to the woman, "You moved so much before, let's see if you do better this time." Cinder scowled at the man, "That's it, that's what I expected from a Schnee lapdog. The decadence makes you all sloppy. Isn't that right, Snowflake?" Cinder asked with a glance to Weiss' sternum, "How is the wound? My marksmanship has been better, I promise." Cinder sad with a vile and defensive smile.
Before either Ruby or Weiss could reply, Klein sniffed and sneezed roughly into his handkerchief. Pocketing the cloth with a quiet glower downward, Klein began with a fit of calm anger, "Now listen here, Miss." The sudden shift made the yellow eye twitch. "What was that, Butler-." Cinder began but was shot back in her seat as Klein stuffed one of his fingers up underneath her chin and shouted hard into her face. "The kindness I show you by repairing this damage is based on the sole affirmation of these girls' hope in your incredulous self! Now shut your gob and let me work!" Klein shot egregious spit with his bellows onto the wide-eyed woman, "O-okay." Cinder managed. Another of Klein's abrupt sneezes shot into his arm's crook. "Oh, sorry about that." He said, wiping off the woman of any spittle.
As Klein worked away, Ruby and Weiss shared looks at the woman. Cinder, seemingly clipped of her only weapon without her voice, sat awkward under their observation. She fidgeted, sometimes tapping away on her legs, others merely straightening to see out the window. Though she barely ever looked at the pair of Huntresses. It hadn't taken a surgeon to recognize that Cinder's injuries were malicious. It just took Ruby a fair amount of strength to refrain from total pity as she saw the burnt scars move above spasming muscles.
Klein's work was done after a few brief minutes, packing up all his materials as well as the old bandages in a bag and then helping Cinder cover herself again with a sigh. "Shall I bring you coffee? Tea?" Klein asked with a smile to Weiss. "Please, Klein." Ruby nodded in thanks, though Klein turned back to Cinder. "Miss Fall?" The woman seemed to jump, "Yes?" She seemed startled by being addressed with the title. Klein approached her calmly, "Coffee or Tea?" Klein asked Weiss, knowing the tone he used as the one he had used when Winter was going through a phase earlier in life.
The similarity almost made the Schnee laugh right then and there, though she continued it with a hand to her mouth. Cinder took a moment, "T-tea…" She said quietly, Klein turning his head with a hand to his ear. "Pardon, Miss?" He asked, Cinder wincing, "Tea… please," Klein nodding with a smile made to leave, "I shall bring it quickly." Turning to the door with a nod to the Huntresses as he stepped out.
The shutting of the door behind the Butler sent the room into true awkward silence. Cinder turned on the bed to face the pair, "Well." She said, lightly slapping her leg, "I assume you've come to gloat." Weiss and Ruby shared a look, Cinder continuing, "Well? Go on. It's not my first failure, I'm excited to hear all about how I slipped up this time, and you're finally able to lock me up like Watts once and for all." Cinder's tone grew uneven as she spoke, though when no rebuke from the Huntresses came, Cinder barked, "Well?! Anything? Say something?!"
Ruby felt her breath hitch as she turned to Weiss. The Schnee looked to the ground before her partner, "I…" Weiss whispered, "I think you're right, Ruby." She said calmly, with a nod. Ruby smiled softly, patting her friend on the back with a smile. The gesture drawing an incensed huff from their audience, "Is this some sick torture for you two? Please, just hurry up and throw me away…" Cinder said with an aghast scoff, looking sideward as she muttered, "Everyone else already has."
A light juggle on the mattress made Cinder turn. At her side sat Ruby and kneeling in front of her Weiss. The latter smiled, "So. I wanted to ask." Weiss held out her scroll, "Do you want some actual clothes? You looked a little chilly before?" Cinder blinked, confusion apparent on her face. "What?" Cinder's question lingered for a moment before Weiss shrugged. "Well, currently, the only clothing you have is that robe, and to be honest, it's not your colour." Cinder looked at her arm and the robe in question, "I mean…" She said with a huff, Ruby then leaning over as Weiss showed the pair of them a catalogue. "I really liked the black look, but the old red was amazing!" Ruby exclaimed, making Cinder nudge away slightly, taking Weiss' scroll in her hand as she looked it over. "Whatever you get, Klein can run and grab it, and we can have you all set before dinner." Weiss said with a nod, "Being if some of these places are still open for business." She said with a slight sigh. "Wait, hold on." Cinder said with a wince, looking first to Weiss but settling on Ruby.
"Why are you sitting here with me? This is the Schnee manor, right? Should I not be in prison somewhere by now? Ironwood would have-." Cinder began, only for Ruby to cut her off, "Whatever Ironwood would have done doesn't matter, and the why is a little harder to explain." Ruby said with a small laugh, Weiss picking up, "She means a little harder on an empty stomach." Weiss snickered, "I haven't eaten, oh and neither have you." Ruby patted Cinder's back, making the woman flinch. Cinder turning at the touch away from Ruby, the pair of Huntresses seeing an instinctual fear come over the yellow eye, "Woah, no touchy right now, okay, that's fine." Ruby said with a smile.
Though now being so close, both Huntresses saw a peculiarly different scar amongst the woman's collection. Around her kneck, "Oh, Cinder…" Weiss recognized the ring for what it was first. "Who did that?" The Maiden was quick to try and cover the scar, using the robe, "Nothing, a scar, that's it." Ruby winced at Cinder's explanation. "No, no, it's not." Ruby cringed, wanting to hold the woman's hand. "That's old…" Weiss said with a shake of her head, "What barbaric person?" Cinder winced at the pity, "It's nothing, just tell me what we're doing here, now." She tried to summon her growling persona, to little valid avail.
Ruby took a breath as Cinder still looked at them confused, "Cinder." She said flatly. The woman felt a well of anxiety grow within her as she watched the girl she'd plotted to kill for years look uncomfortable to speak. "I… We." Ruby gestured to Weiss, "And the rest of the team. Jaune included." Cinder had to think about the name, nothing coming to mind, but listened as Ruby continued. "Are willing to… pardon, some of your actions. In light of your cast out by Salem."
Cinder squinted at Ruby's meaning, "How do you know I was cast out?" Cinder asked. Weiss scoffed at the question, making her the new source of attention. "Well, you were thrown out from the whale while your old Grimm arm tried to eat you alive." The Schnee said matter of factly. Ruby hummed in agreement, "At least till I blasted that bug out of you, and the rest of the team got you here." It had been said so nonchalantly that Cinder had to essentially double-take the statement. "You… blew the Grimm out of me? Why would you do that for me?" Cinder asked, again gazing at the vacant spot of her old appendage. "Well, I couldn't just let you die. No one deserves to be eaten alive like that." Ruby scoffed, "I mean, what would you have-." Ruby tried to say but was cut off by a slump against her shoulder.
Cinder's face was buried into the red hood. She was muttering something that neither Huntress could make out. Though it was not the cloak that blotted out her voice. But because of the gross sobbing enrapturing the Maiden's vocabulary, as her shoulder's bobbed up and down. Ruby's instinct really kicked in, turning fully to let Cinder cry into her instead as she hugged the woman and stroked her back. "There, there?" Ruby said in worry, "It's okay, you're fine now." However, Cinder didn't stop with Ruby looking at Weiss, who slowly crept onto the bed beside Cinder and quietly patted her back from the other side. "This is the oddest week of my life." Weiss chuckled, stroking Cinder's bobbing back.