Volume II: Episode 8: Dates

Ruby was in good spirits. Classes had ended for the day, Glynda had taken Weiss to her office, and Yang was going out but promised to be back in time for her date. Her date! She couldn't believe it! She had a date! And with Jaune no less!

Things were looking up! ...Which was good, because after the previous day, she couldn't bear the shame of going out to fight again. She had killed people before, but then she could comfort herself with platitudes about how it was combat and they were shooting at her and her friends. There was none of that balm to be had in a situation where civilians had died because she had ignored basic procedure.

That guilt and grief started to well up inside her again. It was stronger this time. Maybe she should call the date off...

Before she could get further, there was a knocking at the entryway to the dorm kitchen where she was ruminating. Ruby turned and came face to face with a faunus woman. She had short, calico hair, ears not unlike a dog's growing out of the top of her skull, green eyes, fair skin, and was wearing a clean pantsuit decorated with a snowflake lapel pin. She was smiling in a way that seemed almost genuine.

"Um, hello?" asked Ruby, unconsciously straightening out her uniform. "Can I help you?"

The woman had an air of "corporate cheer" as she spoke. "I'm looking for Ruby Rose - leader of Team Ruby, spelled R-W-B-Y - and was wondering if you had seen her."

"Oh, well, you're looking at her," the young huntress answered with a chuckle. "I'm Ruby Rose."

"How convenient!" the woman said with an all-too-exuberant cheer. "You'll have to forgive my lapse in recognition, Miss. I represent the Schnee Dust Company, and I'm here to offer you a formal apology for the actions of the Third Enforcer Company, along with an offer to reimburse you for your medical bills."

At that, she reached into her pocket and withdrew a series of lien cards on a clip that she offered in front of her. Ruby reached out and took the clip of cards with a soft smile. She pocketed them before replying.

"Don't worry about it. It was all my fault for rushing in like that," she assured the woman.

Ruby didn't want to say so, but she really wanted the woman gone. More than just her being part of the SDC - or at least a representative of it - something about her just unnerved her on a fundamental level she couldn't explain. It almost felt the way she did around Grimm, but that was just silly. Sure, she was a faunus working for the SDC, but there were lots of people who worked for the SDC and weren't complete monsters…there had to be.

"Very well, Miss Rose," relented the woman. "Still, please accept our most sincere and humble apologies."

"I, uh, I forgive you?" said Ruby with an uncomfortable smile.

The woman's smile was much more easy and practiced. "Thank you, Miss Rose. Oh! Before I leave there was one other thing - off the record, of course - that I thought you could help me with."

"Of course," replied Ruby on reflex, and as soon as she said those words, she was mentally kicking herself.

"Excellent," said the woman with a strange edge in her voice. "Now... this wasn't the first time you've run into the White Fang, was it?"

"Um, actually, yeah, it was."

"Really?" The SDC woman arched a skeptical eyebrow. "As I understand it, Roman Torchwick was with the White Fang at the docks, and you'd crossed paths with him before."

"He wasn't working with the White Fang then."

"So quick to defend them, I see," the corporate suit noted. "How do you know when they started working with him?"

"I mean, the goons I fought back then when I first fought Torchwick weren't White Fang."

"How certain are you of that?"

"Um, well." Ruby blinked. "They weren't wearing the masks, and I'm pretty sure they were human."

"Interesting choice of words," observed the woman. "Not police reports, not any identifying marks for rival organizations, not even an overheard conversation. No, it's that they're human that proves they're not White Fang."

"The White Fang hates humanity," pointed out Ruby, remembering that terrible argument two days ago between Weiss and Blake. "They want to see humanity enslaved and living in fear. Why would they ever have humans in their ranks?"

The woman's eyes seemed to shift slightly, imperceptibly, and Ruby was left struggling to find out what had changed. "That is what everyone says about them, but if that's really the case, then why did they save you?"

Ruby felt a sudden cold start to work its way down her spine. "What do you mean?"

"I saw her from my command mech," the woman said. "Descending from the sky like an avenging angel and laying waste to all who threatened you. I've seen her do that once before, you know. Only once. You must mean a lot to her, for her to do that."

Ruby felt her blood go from cold to frozen. The woman in front of her had seen what had happened, had seen it from from a command mech? That had to mean that… that she was Calliope Ferny, the woman who terrified Weiss so much that she was willing to go to Atlas just to make sure she wasn't interested in them. Well, it seemed they finally got their answer: she was.

"I don't know why she did that," explained Ruby honestly, her mouth going dry.

"Really?" asked Calliope Ferny in a tone that set Ruby's frozen nerves on end. "It seems so obvious."

"It... does?" Ruby asked, panicking internally.

"Of course. After all... she's your mother."

There was a delay there, slight but noticeable, before Ruby replied on reflex, "My mother's dead."

"Your birth mother, perhaps," the woman allowed. "But your sister's mother - your stepmother, if you want to put it that way - is very much not, and it's obvious how close you are. Not just from what she did for you at the docks, but you even mimicked her color scheme."

...I just thought red and black looked cool... thought Ruby miserably. "You're wrong," she said. "We're not close at all. I mean, I'm a Huntress from Patch, and she's a bandit somewhere in Anima. How could we possibly be close at all?"

"How could she be at the docks in Vale at just the right time to save you?" Calliope Ferny countered.

Ruby knew the answer to that. Raven's Kindred Link semblance. But... wasn't that in and of itself just more evidence for what this woman was saying?

"I don't know," Ruby lied.

"Neither do I," admitted Calliope Ferny, but Ruby didn't believe that for a moment. "There are, however, several possibilities to overcoming the physical barrier. At least one of those possibilities must be true, based on her very presence in Vale. As for the ideological barrier that you implied… well, perhaps the banditry is just her way of paying the bills for herself and her followers in the White Fang, who fight for equality and justice and freedom. Just like a Huntress does. Just like you do."

It took a moment for what the woman was saying to properly register in Ruby's mind.

"Are you- are you accusing Raven Branwen of leading the White Fang? Are you insane?" she blurted out in shock and disbelief.

There was a small twitch in the woman's face, almost unnoticed. "No, and Sienna Khan is obviously still high leader, but she is hardly the only leader of that organization. Tell me, where do you think they got the trend of wearing Grimm masks?"

"I don't know, but it can't be from her! She's human, and the White Fang hate humans!" reminded Ruby with what sounded even to her like desperate fanaticism.

"And yet, they let you live."

There was a cut in her heart at that. She was right. Calliope Ferny was right. Forget letting her live; they had saved her life, and Ruby didn't know why. All she knew was that it couldn't be because Raven Branwen was one of Sienna Khan's lieutenants or something. That… Raven was wicked and murderous, but she wasn't ideological the way the Whtie Fang were. Dad had made that clear, that even back at Beacon, she was the most apolitical member of Team STRQ by far. Could she work with them on occasion? She had no idea. Could she become such a high-ranking and influential member that her traditions became their traditions? Certainly not!

"I don't know why they did that," repeated Ruby with forced calm.

Calliope Ferny was quiet for a moment, a long moment that felt like a dreadful eternity to Ruby, and then she finally spoke, her voice contrite, "I can see that this has all been very confusing for you. My condolences. These revelations must be quite the shock. Try to enjoy the rest of the day as best you can, Miss Rose, and please, do be more careful. We at the SDC are all counting on you to keep the heiress safe."

Without missing a beat or waiting for a reply, Calliope Ferny turned and began walking out of the dorm. Before she reached the exit, though, it opened on its own. Ruby couldn't see what was going on - she was still frozen in place - but she could hear the beginning of it all the same.

"Oh, Miss Goodwitch, I'm glad I caught you. I represent the Schnee Dust Company, and I hear that you've taken an interest in the heiress. Please, walk with me, talk with me. I need to be at the…"

She heard the door close, cutting off the rest of the conversation, but Ruby held it together for a long time before walking over to a nearby chair and slumping down into it. That… that had taken a lot out of her. She was glad that no one else in Team RRANNBWW could see her at that point.

With a spin, Weiss came in through the open window to land with a ballerina's grace on the floor.

"What?!" Ruby started. "Why were you out there?!"

Weiss ran over to close the window and held up her left index finger to her mouth to shush her. "That was just a little trick I learned from Blake."

Ruby looked at her in incredulity. "I asked 'why,' not 'how.'"

"Oh," Weiss said in realization. With a great deal of dignity, she replied, "I was hiding. I saw the SDC airship and wanted to wait for confirmation that the representative was gone before coming in."

"Well, she's gone," confirmed Ruby. "I hope."

There was a slow nod from Weiss. "Who was she? Did she give a name?"

"No," admitted Ruby. "She was a faunus with dog ears about this high, though," - she got up and put her hand out in an estimation of the woman's height - "had green eyes, fair skin, and calico-colored hair."

As the description went on, Weiss got paler and paler until she asked, "Just how long was her hair?"

"Pretty short," replied Ruby quickly.

Weiss sucked in a breath of horror at that. "Ruby, that was Calliope Ferny, the woman in charge of the unit that shot at you when you recklessly charged into the fight at the docks."

Resisting the urge to groan, Ruby focused in on something else. "Weiss, why didn't you tell me she was a faunus?"

The snowcapped girl blanched at that. "I didn't think it mattered!"

"'Didn't think'…? Weiss, next time you mention having a terrifying enemy, please give us a physical description so we know who to watch out for," chided Ruby.

"'Next time'? How many enemies do you think I have?" asked Weiss accusingly, and in reply, Ruby merely raised an eyebrow. The white-haired girl blushed at that. "Okay, so this stupid name picks up a lot of them. Still… what did she say, Ruby? Tell me exactly what was said."

Sighing softly, Ruby prepared her account.

Evening was fast approaching, though not as fast as Yang wanted. The darkness was one thing, but the shadows? The shadows were a pain to deal with, even with her helmet's light amplification system. At this point in the day, it was either all blinding red light or all shadow under the yellow sky, no in between.

It was in this twilight hour that she had agreed to meet Adam, leaving as soon as she could for the designated meeting point. If he hadn't shown… but he had. He had shown up, and he had an extremely durable-looking suitcase with him.

"Bumblebee, Sunfire," whispered Yang into her helmet comms. "Confirm visual on the package. Making the pickup now."

"Roger that, Sunfire. I'm ready to make a getaway as soon as you show. Let's get this done," replied the yellow Autobot from his position on the dirt road hundreds of feet away.

"So, this is it," said Adam as they approached each other. "I never thought this day would ever come."

"Day's not over yet," pointed out Yang, her voice distorted by her helmet. "Let's not jinx it. Besides, I need to make this quick. I have a date I need to get to."

Adam rolled his head slightly, which Yang recognized meant he was doing likewise with his masked eyes. "Of course you do. Always zipping from who-knows-where to someplace-you've-never-heard-of. Going to change your outfit along the way too?"

"Of course," preened Yang. "You can't expect me to show up in my battlesuit to overwatch, can you?"

"Ah, someone else's date," Adam said, nodding in understanding. "I was just curious because I haven't seen you in that outfit in a while. I guess it makes sense… I mean, it has that mask still."

Yang resisted the urge to go and touch the Grimm mask that still adorned her helmet's front. Instead, she just reached behind her back to catch the book that deployed from her small backpack. "It was just the first thing I grabbed; I was kind of in a rush while changing. Doesn't mean anything."

"And what about that symbol on your shoulder?" pointed out Adam, gesturing with his free hand. "Looks like a White Fang logo to me, or at least a facsimile of it. That's two ways you're saying you're one of us."

Yang bristled at that as she brought the book around. "I'm not Cinder. I'm not going to force myself in, and after that night, you made it pretty clear I wasn't welcome."

Adam seemed mildly upset at that. "Don't get emotional. I already explained my reasons. Besides… it's not like you're a faunus. Are you?"

Yang felt her stomach drop out. "No, I'm not," she admitted. "It would make some things easier, but I'm not." After all, maybe if she was a faunus, Sun might look at her the way he looked at Blake.

He seemed surprised at her words, but didn't reply to them. "So what's with the logo then? Autobot symbol?"

"Yeah," answered Yang as she brought one hand up to move across the symbol. "The little spur on the bottom means I'm a private, the middle part shows my division as ground, and the claw marks are actually the unit designation for special forces. Been around for millions of years before the Faunus Rights Revolution."

"Huh. Sometimes, I forget that," mused Adam before looking at the book. "That the disarming manual?"

"Right again," confirmed Yang.

Adam brought up the suitcase and opened it so that she could put the book inside. It looked… exactly how she expected the inside of a suitcase full of critical information to look like, she realized. No bomb, no special surprises that her sensors could pick up, nothing. He really was being genuine about this… and why wouldn't he? Just because… why would he?

As she put the book inside, Yang felt the full weight of what was going on slip into her. She, a Huntress in training, was helping a man not too different from the mother she had renounced gain the freedom he had so gladly taken from others. He, a White Fang terrorist, was putting aside his hatred to help humans escape a fate that he probably thought they deserved. Neither of them were exactly acting congruent with what they claimed to want, but they were both brought together by the Autobots on the same side of a conflict that had been going on far longer than either of them could comprehend.

"By the way, Destro gave us a message for you," Yang added. "He says he doesn't blame you for what your mistress tried four years ago. What's he talking about?"

Adam froze for a moment, then snapped the case shut. "The White Fang wasn't always so... exclusive in its membership. When she took over, High Leader Sienna Khan found the human membership politically... inconvenient. They were 'encouraged' to leave, but even after being pushed out of the White Fang, some were less willing to abandon the cause, and they tended to be quite... vocal. One of them would be Destro's paramour."

"So why would he blame you?" asked Yang, fearing the answer.

"Better question: why doesn't he?" Adam retorted as he unconsciously gripped the suitcase handle that little bit tighter. "I led the team sent to eliminate the problem. I failed."

Aaand there it was, a stark reminder of exactly what kind of person Adam had been, though there was a hint of regret in his voice. Was that enough? It probably wasn't. If Raven had regrets, would it be enough for her? Yang still probably wouldn't give her the time of day, but they had history. Besides, she clearly didn't have any regrets about what she was doing, while Adam...

"Was there another attempt?" inquired Yang with morbid curiosity.

"No," answered Adam with old confusion. "Destro contacted the high leader personality after that. I never found out what he said to her, but whatever it was, we never touched a single person connected to MARS ever again."

"Huh, guess the moral of the story is not to mess with the wife of an arms dealer," summed up Yang, putting out a hand.

"I don't think it was that, but if it was, let's hope it doesn't apply here," replied Adam as he handed over the package.

She took the suitcase, and then looked around. She froze. There were shadows that weren't shadow enough to convince her suit's optics.

"We've got movement," she reported.

Adam put his hand to his sword handle and turned to follow her gaze. "How many?"

"Two, moving in the shadows," informed Yang as she switched through her vision modes, trying to refine the image. "They look like ninjas. At least one is a faunus with extra ears. Blast it. I can't get an ID on them. They look like they're spoiling for a fight though."

Adam stepped in front of her protectively. "Sunfire, go. I'll hold them off."

Yang felt repelled, history flowing into her head, and her voice speaking of its own accord. "I won't leave you. I'm not like-"

"Yes, you will," interrupted Adam forcefully, then his tone softened. "This isn't like that." He reached out and tapped her rank symbol. "The mission's more important than either of us. Go. I'll be fine."

There was a pause, weighty with emotion before Yang replied, "Promise?"

Adam nodded. "I promise."

Yang nodded in turn, and then she was off like a shot, running as fast as she could while carrying the suitcase. She didn't know if she was being pursued. Bumblebee was in sight, in his Panther Chevron alt-mode, but he wasn't close enough.

"Sunfire to all Autobots," Yang said over the comms. "The meet-up with Adam's gone south. Two ninjas, presumed hostile, possibly more. I've got the package, but Adam's stayed behind to hold them off. He needs back up!"

"Sunfire, this is Optimus Prime," came that familiar voice, stern with urgency. "I am en route to Adam's position as we speak."

A minute after she started running, a shuriken spun in from above and behind to dig itself into the shoulder of her armor. It threw her off, but she didn't drop the package. She ran faster.

A heavy pair of feet hit her back, and that sent her into a spinning roll across the ground. She ground across the grass and dirt and used her momentum to scramble back into a run. Bumblebee was squealing backward to meet her, and with one powerful leap, she crossed through the air just as he was opening his door and sliding to allow her access.

A kunai flew into her butt just as she landed inside.

"Yeeeeowch!" she screamed.

The door slammed shut, and Bumblebee was squealing away.

"Was that really a ninja?!" yelled the yellow Autobot as he sped down the road.

"I think so," groaned Yang.

"What did you do to get a ninja sent after you?" asked Bumblebee in a panic.

Yang reached behind her back to pluck the kunai out of her posterior. "I have no idea."

She found the thing attached to a string which had been sheared off by the door. "How did he do that?"

"Uh, better question: how do we shake him?" asked Bumblebee.

Yang looked over the back of the seat and repressed a curse. "How is he doing that?!"

There was a white-clad shape leaping from tree to tree, somehow keeping pace with them. Suddenly, Bumblebee started juking from side to side, and Yang almost found herself flung into the door. Again resisting the urge to curse, she strapped herself into the seat.

"Bumblebee…" she growled, trying to ignore the pain in her butt as her aura worked to repair the wound.

"He's throwing shuriken at me!" defended the Autobot. "What else am I supposed to do?!"

"Would that really hurt you?" asked Yang.

"I don't know. Maybe?" fumbled Bumblebee. "He's a ninja! They can do all sorts of crazy things."

"How are we supposed to get away, then?" asked Yang.

"We… huh. He just turned around and started leaping back the way he came," replied Bumblebee in confusion. "How many ninjas did you say attacked you again? Two?"

"Oh no," Yang realized. "He's gone back to help the one going after Adam."

"Don't worry," said Bumblebee. "Optimus is on the way. If anyone can fight off two ninjas while protecting someone, it's him."

Yang whispered a quick prayer as they rushed towards the city, the setting sun staining the skies with blood red streaks. Please, Primus, God, anyone. Don't let him fall. Not like this.

Lavi "Black Out" Stall was many things - a sniper, a scout, a soldier - and one thing they all had in common was a demand for good observational skills. It was no challenge for him to recognize how upset Velvet was since losing the capture the flag exercise. It had taken more observation, however, for him to pinpoint just who she was upset with, and surprisingly, it wasn't with Team RRFL.

"Black Out."

Case in point: she was in the dining hall alone. She'd taken to coming to the dining hall early, ahead of her team, and if she held to pattern, she would rush through her food when they arrived. That... wasn't good. It was unhealthy and could get them killed.

"Black Out."

Plus, she looked miserable.

Of course, knowing the problem was only half the battle. He excelled at that. Doing something about it, though? Well... he wasn't exactly the most socially adept among his peers. And considering the twins, that said something.

"Lavi!"

He jerked, tearing his eyes away from the rabbit faunus across the dining hall to look over at his team leader. "Sir?" he asked. The twins were looking at him with identical smug grins, and he realized what they'd caught him doing.

Oh, One-Above-All, they were never going to let him forget this, were they?

Vanguard heaved a heavy sigh, closing his eyes and rubbing his temples. "Lavi," he said, "just... go talk to the girl."

"Is that... an order?" Black Out asked hesitantly. "Sir?"

"I can make it one," warned Vanguard.

Lavi slumped in defeat, then squared his shoulders and rose from his seat, picking up his tray of food, then began walking to Velvet's table.

"Hey, Velv," he said hesitantly as he approached..

The rabbit faunus started, then looked up. "Oh, uh, hey, Lav."

"Is, uh, is this seat taken?"

"Nnnno, not at all," she stammered, shaking her head. "F-feel free."

Lavi nodded and sat. Wordlessly, the two went back to eating, occasionally stealing glances at each other.

This is ridiculous, Lavi thought, several minutes later.

"Velvet-"

"Lavi-"

They blinked at each other, frozen in surprise.

"Um, you go first," Velvet insisted.

Lavi hesitated, then plowed on. "I, uh, I noticed you seem a bit down. And you don't really seem to eat with your team much lately. Is-is everything all right?"

Velvet shook her head. "No, Lav, everything is not all right," she said with a scowl. "They just don't get it. They don't get why we lost; why you won."

"And... why is that?" he asked gently.

"You remembered the mission," she said simply. "We didn't."

Right, he mused silently. The mission...

"They blame you, you know," she continued. "They're acting like you cheated, when we're the ones who screwed up." She sighed. "I just- I don't know what to do."

It felt odd to Lavi, to have his own frustration a moment ago strangely mirrored by the girl in front of him. He pondered as he tried to formulate a solution. Ultimately, it seemed the sting of defeat was blinding them to the lesson that needed to be learned. An inkling of an idea began to form in his mind, but before he could say anything, another presence made itself known.

"Well, well, I hope we're not interrupting you two lovebirds."

Lavi twitched, and he turned to look at Team CFVY's leader, who was flanked by the other half of their team. "That's kind of rude," he pointed out, fluffing his wings meaningfully.

"Coco!" Velvet protested.

"Sorry, sorry," the fashionista apologized, her voice belying her words. "Seriously, what are you two up to?"

"We were actually talking about the possibility of a rematch," Lavi said, meeting Coco's eyes. "You know, a friendly little sparring session, team against team, no special rules."

"Right!" Velvet said with a vigorous nod, backing him up. "We've all been feeling a bit off for a while now, yeah? Figured maybe a rematch will get us back in the groove."

"And we can always use a good sparring session," Lavi continued. "We're all here to learn and exchange ideas, right?"

Coco arched an eyebrow at Lavi, and she gave a shark-like smile. "A rematch, huh? You're on."

"A date... with Ruby?" Pyrrha blinked. The words felt foreign in her mouth, and she had trouble wrapping her head around the idea. Jaune - sweet Jaune - was close to Ruby, certainly, but the two team leaders were just friends, and frankly, Ruby had always come across as rather asexual - or perhaps hoplophilic; Pyrrha wasn't one to judge, even if Ruby's interest in Miló had gotten a little... disturbing - so this had come completely out of left field.

"She... didn't exactly give me much choice," Jaune admitted as he looked in the mirror and straightened his tie. "It was... strange. And kind of terrifying." He turned and gave her a searching look, letting her briefly get lost in his eyes. "Are you sure you're okay, Pyr? That mission was kind of rough on you. If you need me to, I can cancel, stay here with you."

Pyrrha put on a brave smile. "I'm fine, Jaune," she insisted. "And even if not, Nora's here." Sprawled on her own bed and reading one of her textbooks, the orange-haired hammer wielder studiously ignored their conversation. "Don't worry about me. Go. Have fun."

She certainly found his concern for her well-being incredibly touching, but she didn't want him worrying about her. Moreover, the mission had obviously hit Ruby hard too, and the young reaper needed cheering up. Jaune was good at that.

And at the end of the day, it was Team JNPR's room he would return to, not Team RWBY's. With as much as Ruby was hurting, Pyrrha didn't have the heart to deny her. Even if she felt a small stab of betrayal at the crimson-themed Huntress demanding a date from Jaune.

"Where will you be going?" Pyrrha asked.

"There's a nice little diner in town, warm and homey, and they've got an attached bakery I may have spent some time at earlier today," Jaune answered. "After that, well, I've got a few things lined up. Yang-approved and everything."

"Sounds like you have things well in hand."

"I hope so," Jaune said with a sigh. "With how Ruby 'asked' me out, I'm kind of afraid of what'll happen if I screw this up."

"I'm sure you'll do fine," Pyrrha assured him.

"Thanks, Pyr," he said. "That means a lot." He checked the time. "Well, I guess I should be going. Wish me luck."

"Good luck," Pyrrha said, waving as he left the dorm. She sighed as the door closed behind him. "I worry so much about him sometimes."

"You could have said something," Nora pointed out, sitting up and glaring at her teammate. "Didn't you notice? He was practically begging you to give him an excuse to cancel."

"Jaune was just concerned for my health," Pyrrha insisted. "I did nearly burn out my soul yesterday, after all."

"You really don't get what I'm saying, do you, Pyrrha?" Nora asked, frustration clearly evident in her voice. "You had an opening! Right there! Jaune had a date, and he wanted someone to stop him. Wanted you to stop him! If you really want him, why won't you make a move?"

"That's a question you should ask yourself, Nora," Pyrrha retorted. She looked around. "Where is Ren, anyway?"

Nora flushed and shrank back at that. "Yang asked him to keep an eye on them. She had something to do that she was worried might run long."

"I still can't believe we're out in the forest near Mountain Glenn," muttered Blake as she crouched down to rest. At least her new combat suit was comfortable. It consisted of a black bodysuit with protective shin and forearm guards that extended out to cover the tops of her feet and the backs of her hands, with a deep purple collared scapular over it, tied in place with a utility belt. The almost all-concealing black mask - leaving only a slit for her eyes and a pair of holes for her secondary ears to poke through - completed the ensemble.

"A ninja must be ready for anything, Little Knightshade," replied Storm Shadow as he looked around the clearing. "Even spontaneous wilderness survival training. Besides, Mountain Glenn is still some distance away."

Blake nodded at those words. "Yes, Sensei. I have some experience in this."

"Then you are familiar with reconnaissance around your chosen campsite?" asked Storm Shadow.

"Yes, Sensei," replied Blake.

"Good," nodded the older ninja. "This is a good spot, but we must search, both for possible resources and for any enemies that might be lying in wait. Quickly. It will be dark soon, and that is not so good for a novice like you."

"I'm a faunus," said Blake while pointing at her eyes.

"Yes, you are a faunus, and that comes with certain strengths," acknowledged Storm Shadow, "but when it comes to learning, strengths become weaknesses."

Blake bristled at that, her instant impulse being to verbally tear into him over his words, but she held her tongue. She was there of her own accord, after all. Instead, she just continued to hold her tongue, denying him the acknowledgement.

Recon yielded several things. They had food nearby, along with places to use for shelter. Water would be trickier, but they hadn't come unprepared there either.

What she had come unprepared for was what she had seen through her binoculars while perched atop one of the old watchtowers that were apparently connected to the subway system between Mountain Glenn and Vale.

"Adam," she gasped.

"Hmm?" asked Storm Shadow leadingly.

"Adam Taurus, the leader of the Vale White Fang," quickly explained Blake. "He's on the move. Right over there."

Storm Shadow followed her pointing finger. "Ah, you think that this is suspicious and that he is up to something? Very well, we shall follow at a discreet distance then."

The two of them leaped into the forest, Storm Shadow leading the way and setting the pace for their pursuit. When they caught up, they could see him in the distance, talking to someone in white armor and giving her a briefcase. Blake strained all four of her ears to pick up what they were saying.

"We've got movement," reported the armored person in a distorted, somehow feminine, voice as she looked directly at them.

Adam prepared himself to attack while looking for direction from the armored woman. "How many?"

Blake felt a tension move through her body, but she ignored it, trusting that, somehow, things would be all right.

"Two, moving in the shadows. They look like ninjas. At least one is a faunus with extra ears. Blast it. I can't get an ID on them. They look like they're spoiling for a fight though."

She almost leapt out of her skin though at that frighteningly accurate assessment. The woman had even gotten her attitude right, somehow knowing that… well, Blake did have reason to fight Adam. She didn't know what he was up to, but she knew it couldn't be good, and as such, she had plenty reason to fight him.

Still, who was this woman?

Adam stepped in front of the woman protectively. Protectively? Why was he protecting her?

"Sunfire, go. I'll hold them off," he declared with all the gallantry of a knight, and all the honesty of…

"Sunfire"?! That was Sunfire?! That was the woman who took over the White Fang in Vale by slaughtering and burning them? And Adam was protecting her?! Of all the…

Sunfire looked just as stunned as Blake felt and was taken aback before replying, "I won't leave you. I'm not like-"

"Yes, you will," interrupted Adam forcefully, then his tone softened. Softened… like he used to speak to her. "This isn't like that." He reached out and tapped a symbol on her armor that, from the distance Blake was at, looked a lot like the White Fang's logo. "The mission's more important than either of us. Go. I'll be fine."

Blake suppressed a wince at that. The mission... there had been a time when the mission - the cause - had meant everything to them. Of course, that had all come to an end when she had severed that train coupling.

Robbing - ahem, "liberating" - the dust from the SDC train had been one thing. Blowing up the train with the crew still on board? That... that had been a step too far for her. He'd changed so much since they'd first met, two young faunus, filled with the fire of righteousness. But then people started dying. Self-defense became targeted assassinations became collateral damage became... well... that.

Sometimes, late at night, she wondered about Team RRANNWW, wondered about herself. Was she a hypocrite for leaving Adam in the back of that train for not caring about killing people when she'd stayed with her team after they'd actually killed people on another heist of an SDC train? Was she stupid because her team might be turning into the same sorts of people that Adam eventually became? Or was she just a coward because she couldn't face either of those possibilities and instead just ran away?

She was broken out of her thoughts when Sunfire replied in a voice that, distorted as it was, was positively gooey. "Promise?"

Adam nodded. "I promise."

What the hell?

Sunfire took off in a mad dash just before they broke the treeline, and Adam turned to them in full with a defensive posture.

Seriously, what the hell?! she repeated in her head.

Suddenly, Adam froze in place, dumbstruck. "Blake?! What are you doing here?!"

"You two know each other," observed Storm Shadow thoughtfully.

"Yes," Blake admitted, her voice twinged with shame. "He's my old mentor… and my ex-boyfriend."

"Hmm, mixing a tutoring relationship with a romantic one is often a recipe only for poor learning and broken hearts," stated her teacher sagely.

Blake could only nod as Adam shifted his focus to Storm Shadow. "You. I know you."

"And I know you," replied Storm Shadow tautologically.

Adam's one remaining eye was narrowing then; she could tell. "You work for the SDC."

Storm Shadow put up a single finger. "'Worked,' past tense. It was only the one job, after all."

"One job?" repeated Adam, aghast. "That's all?! You helped those butchers in the SDC!"

"I can assure you that I was uninvolved with any butchery on their part," said Storm Shadow. "They paid me to guard their facility, nothing more, nothing less."

"'Paid'?" Realization, cold and inexorable like a Solitas glacier, flowed through Adam's body as many conversations with Sunfire pressed through his mind. He looked at Blake. "And what about you, Blake? Are you working for the SDC now? Is lien that important to you?"

"Me? Don't be ridiculous!" Blake retorted. What on Remnant was going through his head that he'd think that? Then, awareness dawned on her. She shook her head sadly. "You don't even realize who she is, who she works for, do you?"

Adam's eye narrowed beneath his mask. True, he didn't know the face that hid behind Sunfire's mask, but he had a good measure of the person who wore it. And Optimus Prime? It pained him to admit it sometimes, but he'd never met a more noble soul. "I know exactly who she works for."

The admission struck Blake like a hammer blow to the chest, and she blinked back tears. Had he truly fallen that far? To knowingly conspire with the SDC to manipulate the White Fang? Is that why he'd asked her that? To figure out if she was a co-conspirator? Maybe she should she have stayed. Maybe she could have stopped this somehow. She shook her head. This wasn't the time for what ifs. "Then I guess there's no saving you, is there?" she asked rhetorically.

From the "mercy" of the Decepticons? Adam thought grimly. "No. There isn't. My path is set," - after all, mere moments ago, he'd taken that final step to fully commit himself against Cinder and her Decepticon masters - "but... maybe yours isn't, Blake. Walk away. Don't make me destroy you."

Blake reached behind her back and drew forth Gambol Shroud. "I will do what I must Adam... and if that means beating you into the ground, so be it."

Adam narrowed his eye sadly, knowing that this bridge would burn the moment he crossed it. "You will try."

There was a crack, and Wilt shot forth from Blush at incredible speeds. Adam leapt forward a microsecond later and grabbed the handle before bringing his sword down in a terrific slash that cut through the spot where Blake had been. She was already in another position and bringing her sword down; he twisted, and just barely managed to deflect it.

The battle was joined.

Adam spun around to back up out of the shadows and into the light of the sunset, keeping Wilt in a high guard pointed towards Blake to deflect the twin attacks of Gambol Shroud's blade and scabbard while searching for an opening.

"How long?" he asked, pleaded. "How long has it been like this?"

"It's always been like this," Blake snapped, "but you changed!" She jumped back to avoid a riposte and came in with a low sweep that forced him into a twisting retreat.

Always? But she'd only been twelve when they'd first met! Sorrow filled his heart as he considered what that meant. He supposed he shouldn't have been surprised the SDC would brainwash a child as a sleeper agent.

Was she a victim? Could he save her?

"Changed how?" he demanded, waiting for her next strike.

"You've gone out of control," she hissed as she pressed the attack with a flurry of quick slashes.

After all, what else could she call it? First, it was a death in the middle of a firefight, then it was a guard thrown off a ledge, then he was deliberately bombing trains. Now? Now he was willingly working with the SDC!

Those words almost made Adam slip out of the meditative sword katas that his mother had beaten into him from the moment he had come under her tutelage. She… he… he had gone off-script? She had been manipulating him, and he'd failed to follow along. How? How long had this been going on? How had he finally stopped dancing to her tune?

"I prefer results to platitudes," Adam replied.

Sunfiire snorted derisively, the sudden turn in her attitude catching him by surprise. "Then why the hell are you working so hard to sabotage faunus rights in every way possible? Do you really hate yourself that much?"

"'Out of control'?" Adam snarled, Sunfire's words echoing in his mind as he pressed his own offensive with a series of powerful slashes and thrusts. Had he really been that blind? "Freedom is the right of all sentient beings!" And he would not be her pawn anymore.

What was he thinking? Blake wondered. Did he really believe that if he worked with the SDC they would… what? Treat the faunus better? What madness.

"You of all people should know how futile that is," she replied as the sound of clashing blades danced through the trees, their steps taking them further and further from where they started.

"It's not!" Adam declared on instinct. Ten million years, the Autobots had fought the Decepticons. Ten million years of war for an ideal, a dream, a principle encapsulated in one simple phrase. They wouldn't give up, couldn't give up, and neither would he. He wouldn't be shamed by heroism. He would be lionized!

The sun was almost blinding now. They had fought their way close to a cliff, and the setting sun was blazing through the closeness of the tree line. That fiery orb shone over the distant sea, the hills, and the forest, turning the whole world blazing red, save for those black shadows of the woods.

"It is!" Blake shot back, falling back into darkness. "How could you possibly think this would work?"

And it was in that moment that Adam felt something for Blake he'd never felt for her before: pity. She wasn't brainwashed. She'd given up. Somewhere, at some point... she'd given up hope and settled for money.

He wouldn't. Not now, not ever again. He might never live to see it, but he knew now that the fight for freedom would someday be won both on Remnant and across the entire galaxy. Victory would be his forevermore, and that… that was better than any bloody vengeance that Cinder promised.

He charged across the red-lit forest and struck out with a downward cut, which she caught in both parts of Gambol Shroud. They wrestled in the bind and had switched places again. She was in the red, and he was in the black.

"I don't think this can work, Blake. I know it can work," he replied as they looked at each other, face to face, her two blades locked with his one. His voice was as soft as it could be while engaged in a life or death sword duel, for his soul was ever so briefly free. "Join me, and together we can bring peace, freedom, and justice to the world."

"The only peace you'll bring is the peace of the grave," she shot back as she broke the bind and jumped back for some breathing room.

Was she angry? Yes. She didn't think she could hate someone so much, but what he was saying… how far had he fallen?

"Can't you see how Sunfire has twisted your mind?" implored Blake, shifting to slip into cover while going into a guard.

"All she did was open my eyes to the truth," he rebuked… mostly truthfully. She hadn't so much opened his eyes as alternated between just leaving the truth lying around for anyone to pick up and smashing him in the face with it.

Blake felt that familiar pain in her chest, and though she continued to deny it, a little indulgence slipped through. "Just tell me why, Adam!" she begged. "What changed?"

"Why does it matter?" Adam snapped. Was she really going to keep pushing this narrative? Keep pretending she hadn't been the one to twist him around her finger? When she'd already admitted to it earlier in the fight? So be it. He'd respond in kind. "Isn't this what you said you wanted? For the White Fang to stop killing people? To keep fighting for the cause without murder?"

Blake stumbled, in thought, forcing her to jump away again. "I- well, yes, but… what do you even see in her?" Was that what the SDC were focused on when they sent Sunfire? Reducing casualties and expenses from White Fang attacks?

Adam felt himself stumbling as well, as if things had suddenly gone sideways into one of those strange outer worlds that the Autobots sometimes talked about where people 'dared to be stupid.' "Sunfire?"

"Yes! What does she have that-?" Blake cut her own words off as she realized with a blush where things were going.

"That you don't? If you must know, Blake, she has powerful friends," finished Adam before rubbing his stubbled jaw in memory of the two times Sunfire had punched him in the face to stop him from doing something instead of just asking like a sane person. "And one hell of a right hook."

Horror creeped into Blake at his words. Sunfire was… beating him? Conditioning him? And he was defending her? What abuse had he suffered, and what had it turned him into? What horrible fate had she abandoned him to? Adam, at least, had limited himself to honeyed words when he had gaslighted her to his will.

"Adam, you need help," she stated.

"I am getting help," he countered.

"I mean real help," corrected Blake as she leapt back out of cover, onto a tree branch, and then she offered her hand. "Let me help you."

Adam considered it for a moment, really considered it, and then brought Wilt down to create a pulse of Moonslice that cut through the tree she was in and all those around it like a hot knife through butter, turning the whole area red with the last embers of the setting sun.

"No!" he declared angrily. "No more! I'm not going to let you pour poison in my ear anymore, Blake. I'm through with your lies!"

With cat-like grace, Blake landed on the ground off to the side and brought herself up to deflect another of his attacks. "My lies? Adam, you were the one lying to me, about everything, even when the truth was obvious."

"I was only doing what I was told, and are you really going to stand there and claim you actually fell for any of my tricks?" he retorted.

And... it was true, wasn't it? Had he lied to her? Yes. Many times. He'd twisted the truth to serve his pursuit, as he'd been taught: Love was a battlefield, and victory was to be seized at any price.

"Told"? By who? Blake wondered. Her eyes narrowed. Sienna Khan, of course.

"We don't have to do this!" she begged as they charged each other again, their blades locking. "There is another way!"

"I will not, can not, go your way, Blake," replied Adam.

"My way is better though!" she insisted.

"Oh, Primus, Blake," Adam said sorrowfully. "What would your father think if he could see you now?"

'Primus'? Where have I heard that before? Blake wondered before the memory hit her.

"Hate being stuck on a planet with only this synthetic stuff. I don't care what Nickel says, I can taste the difference. It's pink, for Primus's sake."

The revelation was stunning, so stunning in fact that it gave Adam the opening he needed to sweep her feet out from under her and slice his semblance-infused sword through her aura and into her right arm guard. She cried out in pain, and there was blood in the air. Blake's hand hung limply, her right forearm bent at an unnatural angle, as she tried futilely to crawl away.

The sun set, and darkness shrouded them.

Adam brought back Wilt such that it would run straight through her heart. Blake stopped moving and looked up at him. No aura? No armor? Already injured? She knew he had her dead to rights… and yet, he was still just standing there.

In Adam's mind, though, the battle had just been joined anew.

Do it! Do it now! ordered the voice of his mother.

No, Adam! No! cried out the voice of Sunfire.

She betrayed the White Fang. She betrayed you. You cannot let this stand. You must destroy her.

She's not worth it, Adam. Just walk away.

The strong live, the weak die. Those are the rules.

Jazz is wrong. You're more than a miniature Megatron.

This is who you are. Do it!

You're better than this!

Strength without the will to use it is useless. Prove your strength now!

If you turn away, it will be the hardest decision of your life, but you'll be better for it.

You're a conqueror, a ravager. This is what you've always wanted: revenge against those who have wronged you.

You're a protector, a liberator. This isn't what you should be: a valorous knight with righteous heart.

And through the din, the calm and steady voice of Optimus Prime came.

Adam, only you can choose your fate. One book of your saga is ending, but how will the next begin? With a clear purpose, or in turmoil?

"So, this is it then," observed Blake dryly.

Adam finally broke his pause by sheathing his sword. "No, it isn't."

Confusion rolled across Blake's face. "Mercy, Adam? From you? Why?"

"Sunfire wouldn't want that," said Adam as he began to walk away. "Not even for you."

With those words, Blake felt her heart shatter, and the amber pools of her eyes begin to fill. "You really do care for her."

Adam turned and ran, leaving Blake to nurse her wound and try to recover her weapon. She didn't have to wait long before Storm Shadow showed back up again. His expression was unreadable.

"You have failed, on every possible level," he stated simply. Blake ducked her head in shame, only to raise it once more at what he said next: "This is your victory, for there is no greater teacher than failure."

Some distance away, Adam ran, his mother's voice echoing in his mind.

You disappoint me, boy.

The match between the two second-year teams had been quite fierce, but in the aftermath, they could all agree that it had been a good match.

Coco struggled to catch her breath, leaning on Gianduja for support, the handbag in its rotary machine gun configuration. "You guys... are pretty good," she admitted between heaving breaths.

"We were selected to represent Atlas for a reason," Rain reminded her as he split his own weapon, Mouser, from its staff form and reconfigured the two halves into their gauntlet configuration. "We may not be the best, but I like to think we do pretty well."

"You certainly gave us a run for the money," she said, glancing over at the rest of the two teams. Velvet and Lavi - Aww, how cute! - were having a quiet conversation on the other side of the training room, while Yatsu appeared to be in some sort of strength contest with the twins. It gave the two team leaders a bit of privacy. "So, any advice?" she asked casually.

Rain snorted. "You are in severe need of a rectal craniotomy."

"What?" Coco blinked.

"He's saying you need to get your head out of your butt," Fox interjected as he walked up to them. "As I've said before."

"Seriously?!" gaped Coco.

"Yes, seriously," Rain confirmed. "That capture the flag exercise? If you'd kept your ego in check and focused on the objective, you would have won. Easily."

"But you didn't," Fox needled. "Then again, we didn't exactly stop you, did we?"

"A good leader acts decisively when time is of the essence," Rain said, "but when it isn't, a good leader listens rather than speaks. A good team will speak up when necessary. A poor leader, on the other hand, will find herself with no one following her soon enough."

Fox bristled at that. "You think we'd abandon Coco?"

"No," Rain said bluntly, unblinking. "I think she's going to get you killed."

Adam had made good time leaving the scene of the battle. He had been so focused on Blake that he hadn't even noticed Storm Shadow's departure, and he had no idea when the Animan ninja would return. That fight was one he wasn't sure he was ready for... and he was worried about Sunfire.

He stopped short as a familiar cab-over truck swerved to a halt in front of him, the door facing him popping open on its own. Adam hesitated only for a moment before climbing in. As the truck started moving again, completing the turn, he asked, "Sunfire, is she-?"

"Sunfire is safe, Adam," Optimus assured him. "Bumblebee has secured her escape."

Adam relaxed slightly at that. Sunfire was key to getting rid of Cinder, to removing the boot from his neck and freeing his people. And as much as he hated to admit it... she had kind of grown on him. Like a particularly stubborn fungus.

He sat in silence as Optimus drove them to into Mountain Glenn and down one of the many alternative entrances to the underground network the White Fang had taken over under Cinder's orders. The sapient truck stopped to an idle, and Adam climbed out. He would walk the rest of the way.

Once he was clear, Optimus transformed and looked down at Adam, concern on his face. "Are you all right?" he rumbled.

"I'm fine," Adam said curtly.

The Autobot leader lowered himself to one knee, looking at Adam evenly. "You made a choice tonight."

Adam looked away. "I did."

Optimus reached out and placed a finger on Adam's shoulder. "I'm proud of you."

The bull faunus's head snapped up to look him in the eyes. "You don't even know what I did."

"No," Optimus admitted, "but I know you, Adam Taurus, and the man you've become since we met."

"I had her!" Adam snarled. "After all she's done, I should have ended it!" His shoulders slumped. "But I didn't. I couldn't." His hands curled into fists. "I'm a coward."

Had anyone else been present, the words never would have left his lips, but Optimus was... he was different. In more than just being a giant alien robot. Adam... trusted him. He didn't understand it, but then again, it wasn't something that needed to be understood.

"Where is the cowardice in turning your back to an enemy?" Optimus countered. "Where is the courage in slaying the defenseless? Mercy is not cowardice; it is perhaps the rarest courage of all."

Adam considered the Cybertronian's words, and he couldn't find any flaws in the logic. He'd chosen to put Blake behind him. He'd done it once, briefly, before Cinder convinced him otherwise. This time, though... this time, he was putting them both behind him. He wouldn't be controlled anymore. And yet...

"She'll be back."

"And we will be waiting."

Ruby felt a little trepidation as Jaune led her up to the roof.

Oh, God, she panicked silently. Isn't this what he did with Weiss? Will there be dancing? I can't dance!

The date had been wonderful, even if Jaune had seemed nervous at first, but by the time they finished dinner, he'd started relaxing. The cookies Jaune had baked had been amazing! And the carnival after had been pretty fun too!

She was about ready to explode with nervousness when he opened the roof access door ahead of them, revealing... a pair of folding beach chairs?

"Come on," he said, "take a seat."

Still confused, Ruby did as he asked, taking the chair on the right, leaning back and staring at the sky.

"I'm just glad the weather's cooperating tonight," he said from her left.

"Huh?" She turned her head and craned her neck to look at him in the other chair, just leaning back and staring up.

"The stars," he said simply, not even looking over. "I used to do this a lot back home. You know, before Beacon. Kinda got started again recently."

"Really?" she asked curiously. "Why?"

He held up a hand and pointed. "Because somewhere out there, one of those tiny little specks... is the Decepticons' home world," he said quietly. "And some day, we're going to have to take the fight to them."

Ruby turned her attention back to the sky. He was right. It left her wondering which of those twinkling dots of light was the star Cybertron orbited.

"How would we even get there?" Ruby mused aloud.

"Find their ship and take it, I guess," suggested Jaune.

"That's... pretty optimistic," Ruby noted, looking over at him.

"I don't really have a choice," he murmured sadly. "Because if we can't, then it means we've already lost, and I will not - cannot - accept that."

"There's always a choice," she fired back with conviction. "It's a choice to be optimistic, just like it's a choice to fall into despair. You've chosen to stand up and not back down in the face of odds that everyone else would see as impossible."

He smiled at her, and the way he did it… what was happening to her heart?

"Well, I guess you've just rubbed off on me," he explained simply.

Ruby blushed at the compliment and searched for something, anything, to say.

"Do you know the constellations?" Jaune asked, filling the gap.

Ruby shook her head, then replied, "No."

"I can teach you, if you want."

"Again, don't worry about it. You did great, and he's agreed to go on another date, right?" finished Yang as she entered Beacon Tower, running through the whole date in her head, starting from the report Ren had personally given her shortly after it began through to the final moments of Jaune leading Ruby back to Team RWBY's dorm. She was just glad the Team JNPR member was cool with covering for her. Heck, he seemed almost excited to practice his stealth skills.

"Right! Oh, I can't believe this is happening. I have a boyfriend! This is so incredible. Yang, if I don't see you tonight, I just want to wish you the happiest good night I can," said Ruby.

"Don't worry, Ruby," Yang said with a grin. The text from Optimus informing her of Adam's escape had dealt with the last worry she'd had tonight, so Ruby's well wishes were already coming true. "This won't take long."

Up in his office, Ozpin was putting the final touches on another round of paperwork. This should have been easy, but… well, things were weighing on his mind more than usual of late. It was a cycle he had become used to, but it was no less painful.

He missed his friends, all of them; he had lost so many over the years. One of them in particular had been sticking in his mind recently. He wept for him, and wished he was there, but that was all he could do. His friend had been slain long ago in his sleep by her.

It was a tale that was far too derivative for his tastes.

An alert broke him out of his thoughts, and after a quick button press, it was joined by a young voice. "Hey, Professor Ozpin, you up this late?"

He smiled. It was one of his students, though someone he had yet to engage with as much as others. "Yes, Miss Xiao Long. I could ask you the same thing. Do you need something?"

"Just to deliver this package someone shoved into my hands and told me to give to you," explained Yang Xiao Long. "I didn't ask questions, and they weren't giving answers out for free."

Ozpin's eyebrows rose, and he typed out a quick message to Ironwood and Glynda as he continued speaking, "I'm sure that you must have some description of them."

"Well, they did say they got it from someone else, so I guess it was a bit of a daisy chain," admitted Miss Xiao Long. "Let's just say a little birdie gave it to me."

The old man froze at those words. "A little birdie"? It was possible that she was only using a common turn of phrase, but it was also possible… Raven.

"Come on up," he told her, hope flaring in his chest at the idea that one of his lost students might not be quite so lost.

It wasn't long before she did just that. In her hand, she carried a suitcase, and on her lips, she carried a smile. That was… odd.

"A good night, tonight?" asked Ozpin.

"But of course, Professor," replied Yang as she walked towards his desk. "Ruby just finished her date, which means I just finished watching my sister bloom into a wonderful flower of love. Jaune hit every one of her buttons, she enjoyed every moment of it, and he's a decent enough guy that I think I can trust him not to hurt her. I think they might even kiss soon."

Internally wincing at the innuendo in her words, Ozpin decided to ignore it in his reply to the young lady now standing on the other side of his desk. "Mister Arc and Miss Rose? I must admit, it's quite a shock to hear that they're- did you just say you were watching them?!"

Miss Xiao Long blinked in confusion. "Well, yeah? That's what you do, right? You establish overwatch on your family member's date, and then you observe them throughout it. If the date gets too frisky, then you leap in to stop it."

Mentally straining to figure out which one of Team STRQ would have been responsible for this particular brand of madness, he pointed at the suitcase still in her hand. "You said you had a package for me?"

Miss Xiao Long nodded and slid the suitcase across the desk to him. "Don't know what's in it, didn't open it, and before you ask, I don't want to stick around to find out. I am quite happy remaining ignorant of whatever is going on here."

"Very well, Miss Xiao Long. You're dismissed for now," allowed Ozpin, and as she was leaving his office, he glanced down to see that Ironwood was telling him that a bomb squad was on the way.

An hour later, members of Atlas's daring, highly trained special mission force were preparing for the fight that would come with the new day.

Author's Note 1 (Cyclone):

So, who thought Blake was going to end up, ah, needing a hand after that fight? This is what it looks like when we actually write dramatic irony for drama, but I don't think there's much argument to be had that it led to harsher feelings between the principal characters involved here, given their preexisting animosity. And even then, I think it's kind of funny how much they're both missing the point.

This chapter is the first in a long time with scenes written truly collaboratively between us. In this case, the scene with Calliope and Blake and Adam's fight scene. Although we both contribute dialogue to our notes, when it comes down to actual crunch time, we usually split up the bulk of the writing between us by scene and then edit the whole chapter first individually, then collaboratively during the vocal readthrough. Here, we were going back and forth on those two scenes quite a bit during the initial writing phase.

We've been planning the Blake and Adam fight scene here for quite a while, and we had a lot of prewritten dialogue... ~70-80% of which we tossed because it just didn't fit. I was expecting them to talk past each other; I was not expecting them to try to Luke Skywalker each other at the same time, each trying to get the other to turn away from a path that neither one is actually on.

Also, for the record, the "knowing is half the battle" reference was initially unintentional. I was halfway through writing "identifying the problem was only half the battle" when I realized what I was writing. Cody convinced me to lean into it further and change it from "identifying" to "knowing."

Author's Note 2 (Cody MacArthur Fett):

Do you think it's too noticeable that we don't like writing fight scenes? How about Blake being one of my favorite characters, like Weiss, is that noticeable?

By the way, we found out what the trope for all these "repeating lines from another property" bits are on TV Tropes, and they classify them as Homages. Neat. There's also an actual Shout Out in this chapter too though, to the One-Above-All from Marvel Comics.

For Adam and Blake's scene, that's something that I've wanted to write in full for months now. I was really excited to do it, I enjoyed working on it, and I think the end result is stonking AWESOME. However, I also want it to be clear to those reading that the purpose wasn't to somehow encourage Adam. The purpose was to, as Head-Optimus says, finish that book of Adam's saga, to so thoroughly smash his past relationship with Blake that he just wants to leave her behind, just like he was going to do in the Volume 3 flashback episode before Cinder showed up to be the devil on his shoulder. Does that mean that I think Cinder is responsible for Adam's actions? Heck no! As those who frequent the SAPR thread can attest to, I am prone to going on huge rants about how the main character of that story is responsible for her evil acts, and she doesn't get a free pass just because she had Cinder on the phone acting like a pusher in a 1980s drug PSA; thus, one can anticipate that I don't intend to gloss over Adam's known feats of abuse and just treat him like some poor innocent bystander who didn't do nothing. . . . It's just that, well, texts flows in a certain way, and I can't just cram everything into one scene. Though I did give it my best college try here.

Still, whatever we may attempted with positive character development the fact of the matter is that now it's done and we're left to react just like everyone else is, so these are the conversations we have.

Cody: "What did you think of the chapter?"
Cyclone: "I'm still grinning, man."
Cody: "Oh, I know. It's sooo good! I hope people love it just as much as we do, or at least half as much as we do!"
Cyclone: "Yeah… but let's face it, they're going to hate it."
Cody: "Yeah…"